Gwendolyn Longbottom: the Philosopher's Stone
by cooldragon87
Summary: Neville Longbottom has a sister who is similar to Harry in many ways. Can she help defeat the Dark Lord Voldermort with his help. First in the Gwendolyn Longbottom series.
1. The beginning: the letter

The beginning: the letter

I can't believe it. It's my eleventh birthday today!

"Happy birthday, sis!" my younger (by an hour) twin brother, Neville shouted to me. Bouncing in through the doorway to my room.

"Happy birthday to you too, Neville!" He climbed on my red queen sized bed where we hugged each other tightly.

"Go on," he said, holding out a small box wrapped in gold wrapping paper.

"Nev! We're supposed to wait for our aunt to wake up first."

"She is awake. I heard her making breakfast as usual for us downstairs."

"Well then," I began as I reached to open a bedside drawer to bring out a present for him as well, wrapped in silver coloured wrapping paper.

"Ahhh! You shouldn't have, Gwen!"

"Oh, come on, bro. We've done this ever since we've been children. Let's just open 'em."

"Kay, on the count of three?"

I nodded. "One. Two. Three." We shouted at once before ripping open the neatly wrapped packaging and open the small black boxes inside.

I gasped. There was a necklace. It was silver plated, at the end was a red colours arrow with a light amber coloured stone at the tip to match the colour of my eyes. The arrow was arrow was about 4cm long and it was attached to the simple chain in the middle, with the tip of the arrow point diagonally up and facing the left.

I looked up at the same time as Neville to see if he liked his gift. It was a muggle watch that he liked that he had seen a few days ago in London. It had a thin wide circular surface with a thick dark brown leather strap. It could display the time in the twenty-four hour timetable or the twelve hour time table. It could also be functioned as a stop watch. I was hoping to let our aunt charm it, saying the spell 'tempus' and tap his watch, then time and date would appear above it when he taps it three times (he won't even need a wand).

I told him all of that and at the same time we asked each other, "do you like it?"

We both blushed. We sometimes do that: talk either at the same time, finish each other's sentences off or are able to understand each others thoughts and are able to explain to someone with me saying one thing and him saying the next straight after.

"I love it," we both said again before hugging each other.

We the heard our aunt Augusta shouting outside of our door, knocking three times, making us jump. "Neville, dear boy, are you in here. I couldn't find you in your room. It's not proper for a young man to be in a young lady's bedroom. though we all know Gwendolyn is more of a boy then a girl." We rolled our eyes. I'd heard this comment thousands of time from our aunt.

She opened the door, tut-tutting, before place a plate of our favourite breakfast hat we always have on our birthday.

"Already opened a present have you? You're supposed to wait till you get down stairs," she said as we started eating a full English breakfast with a glass of pumpkin juice.

"Thank you, aunt," we both said before rushing to our separate rooms to get ready for the day. I got changed into some dark muggle jeans, a black top, my black slippers and my new necklace. I brushed my curly, dark brown untameable hair but deciding to leave it down and the way it is today before rushing down our modest Grande staircase a Longbottom manner into the drawing room where the rest of our presents were waiting. Neville joined me a few seconds later and we opened the rest of our presents form our great uncle Algie and our great aunt Enid. Neville go given a few different plants as he seems to like Herbology like my Uncle. Though I tend to be liking Defence Against the Dark arts and transfiguration. I was giving a few more dresses from my aunt that I am not likely to wear. Some books about Defence Against the Dark Arts books, more advanced then the first year books you need to get at Hogwarts, and some books on Transfiguration.

When we finished we heard a huge thumping knock on our front door and our aunt shouting that she was coming. We decided to head to the foyer to see who was visiting. We don't normally get visitors unless if it's our uncle or aunt and we usually get notified that they are coming round. Aunt doesn't seem to like us going out much unless supervised or going in our garden where I helped plant some of the flowers and trees with Neville.

She opened one of our huge double doors, there- stood a huge giant!

He had a huge thick brown coat on , a very wide frame, slightly baggy brown trousers, brown eyes, thick eyebrows, a long brown beard and long brown hair.

Neville and I were definitely a little afraid of him. "Ah, Hagrid! It's been a long time since I last saw you."

"Hello, Augusta! It certainly has. I'm here to see Gwen and Neville."

"Of course, I bet there listening in on this conversation," and she looked directly at us before we could hide our heads round the corner. I didn't really care much for her disapproving expression. Neville and I have seen that face too many times to count. We sheepishly made our way to the stranger, as we definitely didn't know who he was. "Children, tis is a dear old friend of mine, Hagrid. He works as the Gatekeeper at Hogwarts."

"Hello you two," well, he certainly seemed jolly.

"Hogwarts?" Neville and I both questioned.

"Hogwarts?" Hagrid questioned back confusedly, as if it seemed he thought that we should know what it was. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"

We both shook our heads. I don't have a clue what he was talking about, we've never heard of a Hogwarts. "You didn't tell 'em, Augusta?"

"No. I saw no reason to, as they've hardly shown any signs of magic until recently." It seemed that wasn't the real reason, or at least not the main reason as it seemed our aunt was warning Hagrid from not saying whatever he was about to say. He was confused, as were we, for a moment before realisation dawned on his face.

"You haven't told 'em?" Our aunt seemed to glare at him. We were really confused now. What hasn't our aunt been telling us? "Well, well," Hagrid seemed to laugh uneasily. He then reached inside his coat and pulled out two envelopes and handed one to me and one to Neville.

They were written in a neat dark green curly script showing my full name and address. I looked at the back of it to see a fancy stamp that was used to seal the envelope together: a coat of arms bearing a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake. I then ripped the envelope open and pulled out two sheet of parchment with the same handwriting.

"Dear Miss Longbottom,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?!" I looked up in shock at my aunt and Hagrid.

"I told the Headmaster that they will not be going."

"Why not aunt?" Neville asked timidly.

"My reasons are not of your concern."

I carried on reading the letter. "Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term starts 1st September. We await your reply no longer than 31st July. Your sincerely, Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress."

"They will not be going."

"And who's going to stop us aunt?"

"Well, I am, you silly girl."

"In that case then," Hagrid then drew out a red beaten looking umbrella and pointed it at our aunt, making her drop to the floor.

"Aunt!" Neville and I rushed over to make sure she was alright.

"Oh, she's alright. Just asleep. Oh, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about that. Strictly speaking I'm not aloud to do magic."

"Okay," Neville and I said at once.

He brought another thing out of his coat that I think was a watch. "Oops, bit behind schedule. Go and pack whatever you need. We need to pick up another young boy, Harry Potter."

"Okay, Sir," Neville nodded.

Just before we turned we noticed a surprised expression on Hagrids face. "Never heard of a Harry Potter before?"

"No sir," Neville answered, both of us confused.

"Never mind then, call me Hagrid."

We headed upstairs to our separate rooms and packed as fast as we could, packing everything into our untraceable detection charmed bags that once belonged to our parents. I put in all of the books that I would need for school and some extra for entertainment. Some clothes for all the seasons, shoes, hats, scarfs, accessories and jewellery.

We bounded down, the same time, down the stairs.

We then headed outside to see this really weird vehicle: it was a motorbike with a small box with a seat in it joined up next to it. Hagrid got on the motorbike while Neville got in the side box first with me squeezing in the front.

"Hold on tight, you two," Hagrid said. Why do we need to hold on tight. I got my answer a second later as we zoomed off into the sky.

"Ahhhh!" Neville and I screamed at once and we grabbed onto the sides of the box. Though when I got used to flying up in the air, as I at least knew we were safe with Hagrid, I quite liked flying up in the air.

"Wooo hooooo!" I squealed, Hagrid presumably laughing at my excitement.

"Ain't you 'er flown on a broomstick before, you two?" Hagrid asked loudly of the engine and the wind.

"Why would want to fly on a broom? Brooms can't fly Hagrid."

"Ya 'er heard a Quidditch?!"

"Nope," I said popping the 'p'. I was tempted to ask what it was but we had to shout to be heard and I certainly didn't want to loose my voice before we see this Harry Potter.

We travelled over many leagues, when we travelled over towns and cities and there were no clouds to hide us, we were so high up in the sky that anyone looking up either wouldn't see us or think us a bird.

It was getting dark quickly. We were flying over the ocean now and there was storm and lightning all around us. After a while I could see we seemed to be headed over to a small, dark, gloomy, rocky island. Who'd want to live in that place.

We landed some what bumpily, on the edge of a small beach before merging with rocks, and headed towards a lighthouse.

As we approached the wooden door Hagrid lifted a fist and knocked three time, each time shaking the house and making Neville and I jumped each time. The last knock seemed to be the last the wooden door could take as it went straight of it's hinges and fell forwards into the house.

We could hear screaming in side as Hagrid slowly walked in. "Sorry, about that. Come in you two." Hagrid called to us who were still out side. As soon as we walked in Hagrid lifted the door and lifted it back in its place.

The first two people I saw was an old man and woman. The man was a big, beefy man with short grey hair, beard, and a moustache, blue eyes, hardly any neck, was wearing a dark blue dressing gown and was holding a long rifle in his hands. The woman, however, had short curly brown hair, brown eyes, what looked like a very pointy face and was wearing a horrible pink dressing gown.

I then saw a very pudgy boy over buy the window. He was wearing matching blue pyjamas, had brown hair and brown eyes. I'm guessing they must have been a father, son and mother. I knew I shouldn't but I kinda hope the boy isn't Harry.

Hagrid went over to the man and woman at the bottom of the stairs who crouched down fearfully at his approach. There was nothing to be afraid of Hagrid once you got to know him a little.

"I demand that you leave at once, sir. You are breaking and entering!" the man shouted angrily, turning purple in the face.

"Dry up, Dursley, you great prune." Hagrid grabbed the gun and bent it upwards, making the man jump and release the trigger as the bullet went up through the roof with a bang. Hagrid then sees the pudgy boy. "Blimey, I haven't seen you since you were a baby, Harry, but you're a bit more along than I would have expected. Particularly 'round the middle!"

"I-I-I'm not Harry."

The real one came from hiding behind a corner. "I-I am." He had pale skin, bright green eyes, dark, short hair, a pair of wiry circular glasses and some grey baggy clothes on.

"Well, of course you are! got something for ya. 'Fraid I might have sat on it at some point, but I thought I give it for you to taste just to see," he handed Harry the package to reveal a similar chocolate cake that we ate on our way here. "Baked it myself, words and all."

"Thank you!" Harry looked amazed that he'd gotten a cake.

"Not everyday you young ones turn eleven now, is it?" Hagrid said also referencing Neville and I as he patted our heads before he sat down on a battered red sofa. It seemed that was the first time Harry saw us so I smiled brightly at him when he looked at us, getting him to get me a small smile back. He brings out his tattered umbrella and points the tip at the fireplace, lighting it, and making the whole place seem a lot warmer.

Harry puts the cake down before he asks Hagrid, "excuse me, but who are you?"

"Rubeus Hagrid. Keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts. Course, you'll know all about Hogwarts."

"Sorry, no." Well at least we're not the only ones.

"No? Blimey, Harry, didn't you ever wonder where your mum and dad learned it all?"

"Learnt what?"

"You're a wizard, Harry."

"I-I'm a what?"

"A wizard. And a thumping good one at that, I'll wager. Once you've trained up a little. Just like these two." Hagrid said, once again referencing Neville and I. Harry turned to us in wonder and surprise.

"You're wizards too?" Harry asked us.

"I'm a witch, he's a wizard. Haven't practiced any magic yet though," I answered him.

Harry eyes widened, "no, you've made a mistake. I-I can't be a-a wizard. I mean, I'm just... Harry. Just Harry."

"Well, _just Harry_, anything you couldn't explain, like when you were angry or scared."

The other boy whimpers, while Harry's expression softens as he remembers.

Hagrid gives him the same envelope he gave Neville and me.

"Harry opens it. "Dear Mr Potter. We are pleased to inform you that you have been invited to Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry!"

"He will not be going, I tell you!" the angry man came rushing up to Harry. "We swore when we took him in that we'd put a stop to this rubbish!" Well, I certainly don't like this man. I wonder how Harry can stand him.

"You knew? You knew all along and you never told me?"

"Of course we knew. How could you not be? My _perfect_ sister being who she was. Oh, my mother and father were so proud the day she got her letter. We have a witch in the family. Isn't it wonderful? I was the only one to see her for what she was. A freak! And then she met that Potter, and then she had you, and I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as ... abnormal. And then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up! And we got landed with you!" the woman answered angrily.

"Blown up? You told me my parents died in a car crash!" Harry said angrily.

"A car crash? A car crash kill James and Lily Potter?" It seemed Hagrid was really angry with what these muggles have told Harry.

"We had to tell him something," the woman replied.

"It's an outrage! It's a scandal!" Hagrid was definitely angry.

"He'll not be going!" the man repeated

"Oh, and I suppose a great Muggle like your self's going to stop him, are you?" Hagrid asked him smugly.

"Muggle?" Harry asked confused.

"Non magic folk. Those two," Hagrid said angrily, pointing to Harry and me, "have had their names down ever since they were born! They're going to the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world, and they'll be under the greatest Headmaster Hogwarts has ever seen: Albus Dumbledore." Hagrid finished off proudly.

"I will not have to pay for some crackpot old fool to teach him magic tricks," the man seemed to cross a line with Hagrid as he pointed his umbrella at him.

"Never insult Albus Dumbledore, in front of me." Hagrid then pointed at the boy, who I just realised was busy stuffing Harry's cake down. Out of the boys huge bum came a small, curly pigs tail. The family started screaming and rushed out of the house while Harry, Neville and myself laughed at the boys misfortune.

"I thought you said you're not aloud to do magic, Hagrid?" Neville asked him.

"Oh yeah," he said to Harry. "I'd appreciate if you didn't tell anyone at Hogwarts about that. Strictly speaking, I'm not allowed to do magic."

Harry nods in acceptance, "okay."

Hagrid checks his watch again, "oops. Still a bit behind schedule. Best be off. Unless you'd rather stay, of course?"

Harry grins and comes after us as we head outside. This time Harry and Neville get in the box and I slip on behind Hagrid, holding on tight to him before we take off.

"Well, it's nice too meet you," I decided to take the initiative and introduce Neville and myself to Harry, since it seemed no one else was going to. "I'm Gwendolyn Longbottom and this is my twin brother Neville Longbottom."

"It's nice to meet you, too. I'm Harry Potter, as you probably know by now," Harry replied. "Are you two going to Hogwarts, too then?"

"We are," Neville replied.

"Apart from small pieces of magic performed, we haven't actually done any, though we have learnt about different subjects that will probably be taught at Hogwarts. I like Defence Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration the best, can't decide which once better though I suppose I'll have to perform some learned magic first to decide."

"I'm good at Herbology," Neville said to Harry who looked amazed.

"How do you guys know so much?"

"Back at our house with our aunt, we're not aloud to go to the library unless it's for looking at the different subjects. We're from a pureblood family, you see, so we've got everything from our parents."

"What's a pureblood?"

""Well, I don't suppose you'd no considering you've been raised by muggles. A pureblood is a witch or wizard who's parents both have full wizarding ancestry, like their parents parents are born with magic in them that is not contaminated by a muggle. A half blood is someone who's parent is a pure blood and a muggle, and then there are the muggle borns whore are from non magic parents. There is also sometimes a squib that is produced by a parent who has magic but doesn't have any magic them selves."

"When did you learn all that?" Neville asked me.

"From our aunt, don't you remember?" he shook his head. "It was about four years ago, after you and I started showing signs of magic, when our aunt thought us to be squibs, and we didn't know what was happening. She told us that we had magic in our blood, that we were pure bloods as our parents had magic. Do you remember now?" he was nodding at the end of my short story.

"You keep mentioning your aunt?" Harry asked us.

"Our aunt Augusta looks after us," we both made an annoyed face.

"So you don't live with your parents either then?"

"No, they died when we were born. We got told it was a car crash as well," I answered.

"How were those people you were living with, Harry?" Neville asked.

His face turned annoyed, "the Dursleys: Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Cousin Dudley. They're the only relatives I've got left."

"I saw them in action, they're absolutely horrid, how can you live with them, Harry?" I asked him.

"I don't really have a choice."

"It's the same with our aunt, I mean she can be nice like on our birthdays, but I think we'd both prefer to live with our Uncle Alfie. Or at least, I think Neville does."

We descended into silence for a while, I looked down to see we where travelling on land again. As it's the 1st of September I do hope we won't be late for school.

Harry and I looked up at each other and both of us noticed our scars for the first time. "When did you...?" we said at the same time.

"I got mine when I was a baby. Just after our parents died. Apparently, my scar is a symbol of the earth. I see yours is of lightning. When did you get yours?" I ask him first. Mine was on the right side of my forehead whereas Harry's was on the left, they were both also red.

"I've had mine for as long as I can remember, I sometimes dream of a green light flashing and a burning pain where my scar is." My jaw dropped as I heard him describe the dream.

"That's the exact same case for me!" I said in amazement.

Harry jaw also dropped while Neville said, "she's always had the dreams, not every night, but at least once a month. We haven't told aunt though, we don't know what she will say."

"I guess we were fated to meet, then," Harry joked to me. We all laughed heartily for a few minutes.

When we finished that conversion we noticed we were lowering down to the ground near some big buildings so that no muggles could see us even though it was light out. "What's the time Neville?"

"9:36am" he replied, looking at the new watch I gave him. I saw Harry look amazed at the date and time appearing in blue above the watch.

"Cool, I thought you said that you didn't use magic, though?" Harry asked us.

"I give this to him for our birthday yesterday, same day as yours. We can't use magic, not until we're seventeen at least and the trace has been lifted, so I asked our aunt to charm it for us."

"What's the trace?"

"The trace is using magic freely with out being reported to the Ministry of Magic, which control things like magical laws, making sure that those with magic do not expose themselves to muggles, care of magical creatures, and anyone who uses the unforgivable curses, are just some of the examples."

"Cool," Harry breathed out. "So, are you two going to Hogwarts then?"

"Yep, we're all first years. I'm really nervous guys." Neville admitted, turning slightly red in I presume embarrassment.

"You've got nothing to be nervous about, mate," Harry said, I was grateful for his new friendship with Neville. We've never had any friends before, only each other, our aunt seem to keep her under lock and key. Uncle Alfie sometime lets us visit a few places like Blackpool and London but that's it.

"Yeah, you've got Harry and I looking out for you," I saw Harry nod in agreement. "Besides, I'm not gonna let anyone hurt my little brother, if they do, well, I won't let them get away with it." Neville broke into a relieved smile.

"Thanks guys," Neville said gratefully.

"No, thank you guys, I've never had any friends before," Harry admitted.

"Neither have we," Neville replied.

"But know we have each other?" I asked them, smiling widely at the though of having a friend.

They both nodded. "Best friends forever?" Harry asked.

We chorused, "best friends forever."

**For reference on what Gwendolyn looks like I think she would most resemble actress India Eisley. Hoped you liked the first chapter, I think that all chapters will be generally this long if not 5000 or more.**


	2. The beginning: Diagon Alley

The beginning: Diagon alley

Since we declared our friendship a short while ago, I decided to tell Harry about my metamorphmagus abilities that I've had since I was born. I explained to him the things I could do, like changing my appearance, and showed him some examples, like turning my ears and nose into a pig's nose and mouth, causing the boys to burst out laughing.

We arrived in the outskirts of London, parking next to what Hagrid said was a warehouse and was now walking through the London streets. Neville, Harry and I were reading the second page of the letter and found that as Harry read it out loud that it was the same for all of us. "All students must be equipped with...one standard size two pewter cauldron and may bring if they desire either an owl, a cat or a toad. Can we find all this in London?"

"If you know where to go," Hagrid replied.

After a few more minutes of walking Neville brought Trevor out of his trouser pocket, he used to belong to our uncle but he gifted him to Neville a few years back, he was a dark brown, small toad that I didn't particularly like as he kept getting lost.

"Neville, put Trevor away, you're gonna loose him again."

"I was just going to show him to Harry," I smiled and just let the boys talk a while as I watched where we were going.

As soon as Trevor tried to jump Neville put him back in his pocket.

We then arrived at what appeared to be a dark, dingy little corner pub called the 'Leaky Cauldron' which we entered.

Hagrid got noticed by a bar tender who called out to him, the two of them obviously knowing each other. "Ah, Hagrid! The usual, I presume?"

"No thanks, Tom. I'm on official Hogwarts business today. Just helping young Harry , Gwen and Neville here buy their school supplies."

"Bless my soul. It's Harry Potter and Gwendolyn Longbottom."

A old man comes up to us and shakes both Harry's and my hand, "Welcome back, Mr Potter. Welcome back, Miss Longbottom."

Then a slightly old witch comes up to us, also shaking both of our hands. "Doris Crockford, Mr Potter, Miss Longbottom. I can't believe I'm meeting you two at last."

Then a man with purple robes and a turban on his head comes up to greet us. "H-Harry Potter, G-Gwendolyn Longbottom. C-Can't tell you how pleased I am to meet you."

"Hello, there Professor, I didn't see you there. Harry, Neville, Gwen, this is Professor Quirrel, he be your defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts."

"Oh, nice to meet you," this time both Harry and I gave our hands out to shake but it seemed as though the professor didn't want to.

F-fearfully fascinating subject. N-not that you need it, e-eh, Potter?"

"Yes, well, lots to buy," Hagrid said guiding us to a back door.

"Goodbye," we all muttered to the professor, that was a weird first acquaintance.

As we went through the back door Hagrid said, "see Harry, Gwen, you're both famous."

"But why are we famous Hagrid?" Harry asked for the both of us. "All those people back there, how is it that they knew who we were?"

"I'm not entirely sure I'm the right person to tell that to the both of you." He then draws out his umbrella and taps out a sequence of bricks clockwise, where they then start to move apart to reveal a secret, hidden, busy street. "Welcome, you three, to Diagon Alley."

We grin broadly as they step into the street and walk down it. We here an owl screeches.

"Here's where you'll get your quills and ink, and over there all your bits and bobs for doing your wizardry," Hagrid explained to us.

We're amazed as we pass by shops and owls and bats. We look at a broom store, where a group of boys are crowded around a shiny broom. "It's a world class racing broom. Look at it, its the new Nimbus 2000! It's the fastest model yet," one of the boys say.

"But, Hagrid, how am I to pay for all this?" Harry asked. "I haven't any money."

"Well there's your money, Harry." Hagrid pointed down the corbelled street to see as strange creamy, tall building ahead of us. "Gringotts, the Wizard Bank. T'aint no place safer, 'cept perhaps Hogwarts."

Inside the bank, we walk down a shiny aisle, passing tiny creatures working. I know what these are.

"Uh, Hagrid, what exactly are those things?" Harry asked fearfully.

"They're goblins, Harry. Clever as they come goblins but not the most friendly of beasts. Best stick close to me." We stick closer to him, me and Harry on his right and Neville on his left. Hagrid clears his throat as we approach a counter with a goblin in it. Mr Harry Potter, and Miss Gwendolyn and Neville Longbottom wishes to make a withdrawal."

The goblin looks up. "And does Mr Harry Potter, Miss and Mr Longbottom have their keys?" the goblin asked, leaning over his desk and speaking in a dry, old voice.

"Oh. Wait a minute. Got them here somewhere. Hah. Here are the little devils." Hagrid held up tree tiny golden keys Oh, and there's something else as well. Professor Dumbledore gave me this. It's about you-know-what in vault you-know-which." He hands the Goblin a letter wrapped in string.

"Very well."

We then head in side this cart with wheels, the goblin called Griphook at the front, the caves below Gringotts lit up with a lamp at the front.

Were racing down the deep caverns, the cart stops and Griphook clambers out. "Vault 687. Lamp, please." Hagrid hands him the lamp and he walks to the vault. "Key please." Hagrid hands him a key and he unlocks it.

The room is filled nearly top to bottom with coins. Our jaws drop in amazement at the amount of gold.

"Didn't think your mum and dad would leave you with nothing, now did'ja?" he asked Harry. Wow, his parents must of been important people.

We continue a bit further on through the cavern before we stop again. "Vault 700. Lamp please," Hagrid hands him the lamp. "Key please. Hagrid hands him another golden key." The door opens to reveal another room almost as filled as Harry's was, though not fully I think.

"Didn't think your parents wouldn't leave you with nothing either, did ya'?"

We got back in after filling our purses with some gold, sickles and knuts, I had also given Harry a spare purse that I had for his money. "Vault 713."

"What's in there, Hagrid?" I asked him.

"Can't tell you, Gwen. It's Hogwarts business. Very secret."

"Stand back," Griphook slides a bony finger down the door. Clank. Clank. The vault opens to expose a small white stone package.

Hagrid hurries in and scoops it up. The eerie light it was shining with disappears. "Best not mention this to anyone, you three," Hagrid warned us. I think we all sensed that this was a serious topic and decided to trust him so we all nodded and he put the package in a coat pocket.

We're back outside in the street, walking, after we were finishing shopping for Harry's School supplies and Hogwarts clothes for us in Madame Malkin's Dress Robes for all occasions.

"You two still need...a wand," Neville pointed out, reading through the letter.

"A wand? Well, you'll want Ollivanders. No place better. Run along there, but wait. I just got one more thing I got to do. Won't be long."

We go into the store, quietly and look around to see there are shelves of wands, but no people.

"Hello?" Harry asked softly before saying it a bit louder. "Hello?"

There is a thunk. We jump round to see a very old man appear on a ladder and looks at us. He smiles.

"I wondered when I'd be seeing you, Mr Potter. Mr and Miss Longbottom. It seems only yesterday that your mothers and fathers were in here buying their first wands. Let's try Harry first, shall we?" He picks a wand out a box on a shelf close to the counter and gives the brown stick to Harry. "Ah. Here we are." Harry holds it but just stands there with it in his right hand. "Well, give it a wave."

"Oh!" and he waves. All the shelves come crashing down. We all jump and he hurriedly puts the wand down on the counter.

"Apparently not." The man gets another wand from his shelves. "Perhaps this." Harry waves the new wand at a glass vase with a few flowers in which shatters. "No, no, definitely not! No matter..." we see him near the back of his store holding a box in his hands and looking like he was contemplating it. "I wonder." He comes back to the front and hands Harry the wand. Neville and I look on in awe as Harry golden and a slight wind appears around him.

"Curious, very curious. Now, one for Miss Longbottom." He goes straight to the back this time and comes forwards holding a box that seems to house all the wands. He handed the wand to me. I also glowed golden. Everything that happened to Harry happened to me. I felt very calm, warm under the glow but also slight powerful. "Curious, very curious," the old man repeated.

"Sorry, but what's curious?" I asked him.

"I remember every wand I've ever sold Mr Potter,It just so happens that the phoenix, whose tail feather resides in your wands gave one other feather, just one. It is curious that you two should be destined for these wands when its brother gave you those scars." He points to each of our scars."

"And...who owned that wand?" asked Harry.

"Oh, we do not speak his name. The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter. It's not always clear why, but I think it is clear that we can expect great things from you two. After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things...terrible, yes, but great," and he handed our wands back after he had examined them and told us that Harry's was a 13' Holly, with a pheanix core whereas my was only a 12' wand. We paid for them, we didn't need to get Neville a wand as he was going to use our fathers wand. I couldn't use my mother's as it was broken, presumably the night they died.

We had just finished paying them when we heard a knock on the window behind us. Hagrid was there and he was holding two animals, a white snowy owl and a black cat in tall different cages.

"Wow!" Harry and I said.

We headed outside to thank Hagrid and take a look at our new pets. He gave Harry the owl and me the cat.

"What are you gonna name her?" I asked Harry.

"How do you know it's a girl?" the owl then tried to bite him.

"It's obvious isn't, or maybe it's just a girl thing. She's just too beautiful to be a boy, aren't you girl?" she ruffled her feathers proudly at my compliment. I laughed.

"How about... Hedwig. Do you like that girl?" I think she did as she ruffled feathers. "Do you know what yours is then?"

"A boy, of course. He's so handsome. I'm going to name you Truffles," I think he liked it as he purred and licked a finger that was near the bars.

We carried our new school trunks and pets to a pub that Hagrid where he ordered us some vegetable soup.

Harry's and my happy mood evaporated after a short while though. "You alright you three, you seem a bit quite?" Hagrid asked us.

"He killed our parents, didn't he? The one who gave us this," Harry said, referencing to our scars. "You know, Hagrid, I know you do."

Hagrid sighs and pushes bowl away. "First, and understand this, you three, 'cause it's very important. Not all wizards are good. Some of them go bad. A few years ago there was one wizard who went as bad as you can go. And his name was V-...his name was V-..."

"Maybe if you wrote it down?" Neville suggested.

"No, I can't spell it. All right. His name was Voldemort."

"Voldemort?" Harry an I questioned incredulously. What kind of name is that?

"Shh!" Hagrid whispered before he looked around the dark pub, lit only by a few lamps, to see if anyone heard. It was dark times, you three, dark times. Voldermort startered to gather some followers, brought 'em over to dark side. Anyone that stood up to him ended up dead. Both of ya parents faught against him, but nobody lived once he decided to kill 'em. Nobody... not one... except you two." Hagrid pointed to Harry and I.

"Us... Voldermort tried to kill us?" I questioned.

"Yes, those ain't no ordinary cuts on your foreheads Harry, Gwen. A mark like that only comes from being touch by a curse... and an evil curse at that."

What happened to you-know-who?" Neville questioned. I don't know why he can't say Voldermort's name.

"Some say he died. Codswallop in my opinion. Nope, I reckon he's out there still, too tierd to carry on. But one thing's absolutely certain, something about you Harry, Gwen, something about you two stopped him that night. That's why your famous. That's why everybody knows your names. You're the boy and girl who lived."

* * *

A while later and we were in a London train station 'Kings Cross', carrying trolleys filled with the thing we bought in Diagon Alley.

We see a couple with their own luggage and trolley staring at Hagrid, looking dazed, "What are you looking at?" he questioned them. He brings out his gold watch again. "Blimey, you three, is that the time?! I'm gonna have to leave you, Dumbledore will be wanting the uh... well, he'll be wanting to see me," he informed us, patting a left coat pocket where he put the thing he grabbed from the mysterious vault 713. "Now, uh, your train leaves in ten minutes. Here are you tickets. Stick to it, you three, it's very important. Stick to your tickets." We look at golden our tickets to see it say Platform Nine and three quarters. Now, I know that's not right. Neville and I have been here before, I can't remember seeing a Platform nine and three quarters.

"But Hagrid, there's no such thing as Platform nine and three quarters, is there?" Neville asked. We looked up to see that Hagrid was gone, completely, we couldn't see him anywhere. Harry looked to us for an explanation but we didn't have one.

We headed towards Platform nine, which was filled with a range of people rushing backwards and forwards making sure they got to their trains on time, and began to look for nine and three quarters but we couldn't find it. A man rushes by us, bumping slightly into Neville, "sorry," said the man before he rushed off again, presumably late for his train. We're going to be late for ours if we don't find it soon.

We see a train master just finishing speaking to a woman with frizzy blonde hair so we head over there where Harry speaks to him, "excuse me, excuse me, can you tell us where we might find Platform nine and three quarts, sir?"

"Nine and three quarters? Think you're being funny, do ya?" He laughs and shakes his head walking away. We see a ginger family walk by down the left side of the aisle: a woman, a young girl and four boys, all pushing trolleys of their own.

"It's the same year after year, the whole place filled with muggles," the woman says to her children.

"Muggles," I mutter, thinking that this family may be wizards and witches to know that term.

"Platform nine and three quarters this way." We follow them to where they stand in front of a brick column.

A very tall boy, who looks like the oldest of the boy pushes his trolley, runs and disappear into the wall. The three of stare on in shock, never seeing anything like that before.

"Fred, you next," the woman calls to one of the boys looking very similar to the one he's standing next too, they must be twins.

"He's not Fred, I am," says the boy next to the one the woman called to. They all had ginger hair, and it seemed it was impossible to tell the difference between the two boys. The family was all wearing a variety of different coloured jumpers and trousers.

"Honestly woman, you call yourselves our mother," the one that got called Fred first said. So I was right about them being a family.

"Oh, I'm sorry George."

"I'm only joking, I am Fred," it seems they're jokers of the family.

The twins both run and disappear through the wall at the same time. We all shake our head in disbelief, even Neville and who's actually heard of magic before.

"Excuse me?!" Harry called up to them, all of us pushing our trolleys forward as the family that was left turned around.

"C-can you tell us how to get through the...?" and I nod towards the wall, not knowing what to call it.

"How to get to the Platform," the kind woman suggested, putting an arm around our shoulders. "Yes, it's not to worry dears, it's Ron's first time to Hogwarts as well." She pointed out to another young boy, who was probably the youngest boy in the family, who nodded and smiled at us. "Now, all you've got to do, is run straight at the wall, between Platforms nine and ten. Best to give it a bit of a run if you're nervous." She pattered my shoulder while the small girl wished us well.

Harry lined off first, while Neville and I were side by side behind him. We took off at a run and passed through the wall, just narrowly missing a man walking past.

We were amazed at what we saw on the other side. There sat a huge red train, steam pouring out at the top, saying the Hogwarts Express. On there platform were small and old children saying goodbye to their parts and getting on the train. We looked up, as a whistle blows, to see a sign say 'Hogwarts Express, Platform nine and three quarters'.

We put our luggage and Hedwig on the train, while we keep Truffles and Trevor with us and got on the train. We manage to find an empty compartment. I sit down on the left side of the window, Harry sits next to me and Neville sits next to the door on the other side.

The train has been going across country for a while now, when our comfortable silence was broken by the same boy who the woman introduced to us earlier opened the door.

"Excuse me, do you guys mind? Every else is full."

"Not at all," Harry replied.

He came in and sat in front of me. "I'm Ron, by the way. Ron Weasley."

"Gwendolyn, or Gwen Longbottom, Harry Potter and my twin brother Neville Longbottom," I introduced us all.

His jaw dropped when I said Harry's and my name. "So, so it's true? I mean, do you guys really have the-the..."

"The what?" Harry asked him.

He leans forward and whispers, "... scar?"

"Oh," and both of us lifts the hair away from our face to show them.

"Wicked," he grinned as he leaned back, Harry and I smirked.

A trolley lady then came up to our door, she was over weight, had light brown hair and was wearing a white apron. Her trolley was full of sweets. "Anything off the trolley, dears?" she asked.

"No thanks. I'm all set," Ron said, and brought out a few squished sandwiches out of his pocket before putting them back in.

Harry and I smirked at each other while Harry got out a handful of coins out of the black purse I gave him. "We'll take the lot," he replied.

"Whoa!" Ron breathes out.

A short while later, all the sweets that we brought were spread out next to Ron as he had the empty side. "Bertie Bots Every Flavour beans?" Harry asked.

"They mean every flavour." Neville and I have never had any sweets before, let alone any wizard sweets, so we didn't know what they all were either. "There is chocolate and peppermint, and there's also spinach, liver and tripe. George swore he got a bogey flavour one once."

Harry and I both took our out of our mouths, I did not want to get one of those. Harry then picked out a chocolate frog. It was a pentagon with the colours blue and gold packaging. "These aren't real chocolate frogs, are they?" he asked Ron.

"It's only a spell. Besides, it's the card you want. Each pack has a famous witch or wizard on it. I've got about five hundred myself."

"Ribbet," went the frog. IT jump on the open window shelf, got caught by the wind and flew off.

"Oh, that's rotten luck. they've only got one good jump to begin with."

Harry turned the box over to reveal an old man dressed in dark blue robes, white hair, a very long beard that ends in a point also wearing a black pointy hat. "Hey, I've got Albus Dumbledore!"

"I've got about six of him," Ron said proudly.

We looked down to see that he was gone. "Hey, he's gone," Neville said.

"Well, you can't expect him to be around all day, can you? This is Scabbers, by the way, pathetic isn't he?" Truffles didn't seem to like the dark brown rat as he kept hissing at him and wanted to scratch him. I kept him occupied by stroking his black fur.

"Just a little bit," Harry replied.

"Fred gave me a spell as to turn him yellow, want to see?"

"Oh yeah," we all replied.

Ron drew out his wand and cleared his throat. "Sunshine daisies..." was all he got to before a young girl, already dressed in her Hogwarts uniform with very bushy brown hair and brown eyes stopped at our open door.

"Has anyone seen a white cat? A boy named Alex has lost one."

"No," Ron replied.

"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see then," she said in a bossy type of voice, leaning on the doorway and crossing her arms over her chest.

Ron cleared his throat again and started waving his wand over Scabbers, "Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow!" there was a spark aimed at Scabbers but nothing happened.

"Are you sure that's a real spell?" the girl questioned.

"Well, it's not very good, is it? Of course, I've only done simple ones but they've all worked for me." She brought out her wand, sat down in front of Harry and pointed it at his face. "Oculus Reparo," the was a spark and Harry's glasses, the noseband, was fixed. He took them off as we looked at them in amazement before he put them back on again.

"Holy cricket, you're Harry Potter and Gwendolyn Longbottom. I'm Hermione Granger, and you are" she questioned Neville and Ron, looking sour at Ron as he was eating but looking pleasantly at Neville.

"Neville Longbottom, twin sister of Gwen," Neville introduced him self.

"Ron Weasley," Ron said around a mouthful of sweets, causing Hermione and myself to grimace.

"Pleasure, you four better change into your robes. I expect we'll be arriving soon."

**Hope you liked this chapter.**


	3. The beginning: Sorting Ceremony

The beginning: Sorting Ceremony

It was dark when the train stopped, six o'clock according to Neville. We had stopped of at a small platform, putting Truffles and Trevor with the other animals before getting off the train.

We heard Hagrid calling all the first years over to him, lighting him up with a lamp, "Right then, first years! This way please! Come on, now, don't be shy. Come on, now, hurry up."

We're the first ones to arrive in front of Hagrid. "Hello, you three!"

"Hey, Hagrid!" I greeted in reply while Ron was amazed at Hagrid's size.

"Right then. This way to the boats. This way, follow me." We follow Hagrid off the platform down a path the forest where we arrive at a huge lake. We see some boats waiting for us so we start climbing in, Neville in the front behind a lamppost, Harry and I sitting side by side and Ron sitting behind us as we all travel to a huge castle.

The black castle (might have been another colour in daylight), we could see had turrets, millions of windows in every window, It was just huge. We're definitely going to get lest and it will take a long while before we find our way around.

We were led up by Hagrid who left us there to make our own way into the castle, as Harry and I were at the front we got to push the two huge double doors open. Inside was a huge hall, we could see a grand staircase in front of us and lots of corridors and doors around us. We walked up a small flight of stairs to see a woman just standing there, waiting for us.

The woman was very tall, maybe six feet tall. she was wearing long green and black robes with a silver shield type clasp just below her neck. I could tell she was old by the winkles in he face, she had brown eyes, dark brown hair and was wearing a dark brown pointy hat. She also looked very stern.

We all gathered by the top steps. "Welcome to Hogwarts," she started saying. "Now, in a few moments, you will pass through these doors and join your classmates. But before you can take your seats you must be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Now, while you are here, your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you house points. Any rule breaking, and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup. The sorting ceremony will begin momentarily." She then walked off.

I wonder which House I'll be in, hopefully one with Neville, Harry, and Ron.

"So it's true then," we all turned around to see that my thoughts were interrupted by a slicked back blonde haired boy with icy grey eyes, surrounded by to overweight boys with brown hair. "All the saying on the train... Harry Potter and Gwendolyn Longbottom has come to Hogwarts." That started off a round of whispering of our names while the blonde boy with his two body guards came to stand in front of Harry and I. "This is Crabbe," he said, mentioning with his head the one behind him on our left, he was slightly smaller then the other one. "... and this is Goyle," he motioned to the other one before saying, "and I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

That caused Ron to snort in amusement. "Think my names funny, do ya? no need to ask yours. Red hair, and a hand me down robe. You must be a Weasley," he sneered at Ron before turning back to us. "You'll soon find that some wizarding families are better than others Potter, Longbottom. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort," he directed this comment to Ron. "I can help you there," and he held out a right pale hand towards us. We looked back up at him.

"I think we can tell the wrong sort for our selves, thanks," I replied, causing Malfoy to scowl before he was tapped on his shoulder by Professor McGonagall, who was holding a rolled up piece of parchment.

"We're ready for you, now," she said to us all. "Follow me," she lead us down a corridor and opened another set of two huge double doors.

We were all in awe again as we saw the size of the room. There were four long tables with hundreds of children sitting there staring at us. At the top were all the teachers sitting on a table on their own. I could see Professor Dumbledore sitting in the middle on a golden chair, I could also see Hagrid down the left of him. The ceiling was just amazing, it reflected perfectly the night sky out side. there were also candles floating above is in the air. I heard Hermione Granger say to a dark haired ginger girl, "it's not real, the ceiling. It's bewitched to look like the night sky . I read about it in a Hogwarts: a history." Oh, I love that book. I was reading about it for some time on the train ride here.

Professor McGonagall led us to the very en of the hall, just before a raised platform were a stool and a hat lay. "If you just wait along here, please," she called to us. "Now, before we begin, Professor Dumbledore would like to say a few words."

The old man in the golden chair, dressed in dark blue robes wearing a brown pointy hat stood up. "I have a few start of term notices I wish to announce. The first years please note that the dark forest is strictly forbidden to all students Also, our caretaker, Mr Filch," he point down the hall to a ragged old man with a cat standing next to the doors. "...has asked me to remind you, that the third floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds, to all those who don't wish to die a most painful death, thank you," and he sat back down again.

Professor McGonagall stood next to the stool, the parchment unrolled and in her right hand and the worn brown looking hat in her left. "Now, when I call your names, you will come forth and I will place the Sorting Hat on your head and you will be sorted into your Houses," she looked at the parchment before saying, "Hermione Granger," the girl who was talking to us earlier on the train came forwards. "Oh, no, okay, relax," she spoke to herself before sitting on the stool as McGonagall put the hat on her head.

"Ahh, right then," the hat had spoke in a deep, mysterious man voice. "Hmmm, right, it better be... Gryffindor!" the hat roared. The Gryffindor table, which was the table the middle table on our right, cheered for their new house mate as Hermione walked off happily towards them and sat down near some empty seats at the front.

"Draco Malfoy." He got Slytherin as soon as the hat was put on his head. The Slytherin table was the one on the far right.

"There wasn't a witch or wizard who didn't go bad who wasn't in Slytherin," Ron told us, all of us looking over at Malfoy as he sat down. Harry and I then looked over at the teachers, one in particular who was looking at us caught our eye. He was pale, wore black robes, shoulder length black hair, a pointy nose, had pale skin and was sitting right at the edge of the row of teachers. Then our scars started hurting, like they were on fire. "Harry, Gwen, what's wrong?" Ron asked us concerned.

"Nothing, nothing we're fine," I replied, both of us lowering our hands from our foreheads.

We looked back at the sorting hat to see a girl called Susan Bones was sorted into Hufflepuff along with Hannah Abbott.

"Gwendolyn Longbottom," Professor McGonagall called out, earning a round of whispers from the students behind me. I saw Professor Dumbledore shift and look at me very closely. I gulped nervously before waking up and sitting on the stool.

"Ummm, difficult, very difficult. We have a Metamorphmagus in our midst I see. You have courage, a knowledgeable mind and a thirst to prove yourself but where to put you?"

"Not Slytherin, not Slytherin," I whispered repeatedly.

"Not Slytherin, eh" the Hat repeated, making me flinch. "Are you sure, you could be great you know? It's all here in your head. Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, there's no doubt about that. No? Well, it better be... Gryffindor!"

"The Gryffindor table cheered like made and all of them wanted to shake my hand and say congratulations. I'm pleased with the Hat's choice. I sat down next to Hermione, as we looked back at the Sorting.

"Harry Potter," another round of whispers went up again as Harry sat on the stool.

"Ahhh, right then, another difficult one, I see. Plenty of courage, like Miss Longbottom before, you a good mind, and also a thirst to prove yourself. You could be also led to greatness in Slytherin, it's all here in your heads. No? Well, it better be... Gryffindor."

The same thing happened at our table to Harry as it did to me. We looked to see Professor lifting his goblet to Harry, just like he did to me after I sat down. I wonder why he did it to only us two.

Neville also got sorted into Gryffindor, though it took a long time as he wanted to be sorted into Hufflepuff instead. Ron also got sorted into Gryffindor like his brothers before him.

After half an hour more had past, the ceremony was finished and Dumbledore stood up. "Let the feast, begin," he said, while waving both arms out and around him. On all the tables, food magically appeared. There was chicken wing, sausages, ham, beef, gammon and vegetables. For drinks there was water pitchers and pitchers of Pumpkin Juice.

The hall was filled with awe and chatter as everybody started pilling there plates with food. I heard a boy, further down our table to the right, called Seamus Finnegan talking about his parents to people around him. "I'm half and half. My dad's a muggle, my mum's a witch. Bit of a nasty shock when he found out."

Harry, who was sitting next to Ron's oldest brother, asked Percy, "Hey, Percy, who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrel?" he was referencing the teacher who made our scars burn earlier.

"Oh, that's Professor Snape, Head of Slytherin House."

"What's he teach?" I ask him.

"Potions, but everyone knows it's Defence Against the Dark Arts that he wants. He's been after Quirrell's job for years."

As I was just drinking some Pumpkin juice I see Ron reach for two drumsticks when a very ghostly grey head appeared out of the bowl, causing he to drop the chicken and lean back in surprise. "Hello, how are you?" he asks Ron. "Welcome to Gryffindor." He looks up and to the left as a ghostly lady, as well as many others comes flying into the hall.

A ghost comes out of the Hufflepuff table, "Whoo hoo hoo!" he says as he waves his wand about.

I hear someone on their table call out, "hey, it's the Bloody Baron."

The ghost on our table was now fully out of the table and was just about to glide away when Percy called out to him, "Hello, Sir Nicholas, have a nice summer?"

"Dismal, once again, my request to the Headless Hunt has been denied."

"I know you," Ron called out to him. I've never met a ghost before. "You're Nearly Headless Nick."

"I prefer Sir Nicholas, if you don't mind."

"Nearly Headless, how can you be nearly headless?"

"Like this," he pulled his head to the left, almost taking it all off his head, showing a disgusting mound of dark blood.

"Uhhh!" Ron and I exclaimed in disgust.

We finish the feast in another half an hour where we led head out of the Great Hall led by Percy. He leads us to an era where we see in front of us loads of moving staircases going above and below.

"Gryffindor's, follow me, please. Keep up, thank you." I hear another boy lead the first year Ravenclaw's away from us. This is the most direct path the dormitories," he says pointing to some stairs leading up behind him. "This is the most direct path to the dormitories. Oh, and keep an eye on the staircases... they like to change."

We look around us to see millions of pictures actually moving. "Seamus, that picture's moving," Neville called out to the boy who said he was a half blood at the feast.

"Look at that one, Harry," Ron points out a young girl in a white wedding dress curtsying to us while I think she might of winked at Ron!

"I think she fancies you," I said to him. I also heard a girl behind us point out the young woman.

A middle aged man smiled to us all, "Welcome to Hogwarts," he said joyfully.

"Who's that?" the same girl who pointed out the wedding dress woman wondered.

Quite a few floors up, seven according to Percy when I ask him, we arrived in front of a painting of a pink, fat, brown haired lady in, to me, an over extravagant dress holding a glass of wine. "Password," she asked Percy.

"Caput Draconis," the lady nods and the door shaped like an arch opens.

Percy leads us through a small corridor to lead us to the most warm and cosy common room ever. It was painted in reds and gold's. A huge fireplace roaring over to our right, sofas and chairs and tables spread out across the room. There was also more of the moving paintings in here. Over to the right in the corners we could see windows that looked out into the grounds below.

"Gather round, here," he stops in the middle of the room. "Welcome to the Gryffindor common room. Boy's dormitories, upstairs and down to your left," he says, pointing behind him at the stairs. Girls, the same on you right. You'll find that your belongings have already been bought up."

* * *

Now midnight, I was sighting by a window next to my bed (a bed closest to the door on the left), stroking Truffles, and looking out the window. I shared my doom with Hermione Granger (who had the bed next to me on my left), Parvarti Patil, and Lavender Brown who was stationed closet to our own bathroom. The beds were all the same: dark read duvets and covers with two dark gold pillows.

I wasn't really looking out the window, more just sorting out my thoughts of what has happened the past few days. I wasn't till half an hour later that I finally went to bed, Truffles asleep on the pillow next to me, my curtains drawn, not having realised that Harry also had stayed awake in his own dormitory shared by Neville, Ron, Seamus and Dean.


	4. Series of Attacks: Halloween

Series of Attacks: Halloween

The next morning the sun wakes me up as it usually does, I find out that my curtain was drawn open from the wind, I guess I should've remembered to close the window last night.

Hermione was also up so we shared the bathroom before the other two woke up. Then we collected our necessary books in our book bags, I had put mine in my undetectable extensive charmed bag and left the common room together. We saw that Percy was already up and said hello to him, also gaining the password that had changed and headed to the library so we could be prepared for our first lessons for the day. The lessons didn't start until nine, which we learnt yesterday when our Head of House Professor McGonagall gave us our timetables for the year.

We chattered about what we know, walking through the halls, asking directions from students already up. I ended up telling her about my metamorphmagus abilities, even showing her a few of the things I could do like tuning my face into different animals. She also told me about her parents and what it was like to live in the muggle world. I think, apart from the talking quietly, that we made a good first impression on the librarian Madame and made a good strong friendship with each other.

We headed to breakfast, carrying different books under our arms, before heading to Transfiguration, our first lesson for the day. McGonagall got us to read through a textbook and analyse the importance of Transfiguration on a two feet essay.

We were sitting together in the second row of four, just behind the first desk.

A few minutes into the lesson and the doors were opened. We look behind us to see Harry and Ron run into the classroom, we shake our heads at them for being late on their first day.

"Phew!" breathed Ron. "Can you imagine the look on McGonagall's face if we were late?"

The tabby cat sitting on the front desk jumped of the table and transformed into Professor McGonagall dressed in purple robes. I was in awe of her for that.

"That was bloody brilliant,2 it seemed Ron and Harry were in awe of her as well.

"well, thank you for that assessment, Mr Weasley. Maybe if I were to transfigure Mr Potter and yourself into a pocket watch, maybe then one of you might be on time?"

"We got lost," was Harry's lame excuse.

"Then perhaps a map? I trust you don't need one to find your seats."

After that lesson we handed in our essays and head to Potions which we have yet again with Slytherin.

We're waiting for Professor Snape to arrive in this dark and gloomy dungeon classroom with steaming cauldrons all around, Harry and Hermione sitting on either side of me, Ron sitting next to Harry and Neville behind us, when the doors banged open behind us. My description of Professor Snape just then was that he looked like a bat, snuffing our the lights till only a few were left.

"There will be no wand waving, or silly incantations in this class," he spoke in a dark, smooth voice which I immeadiantly didn't like. I don't think I liked him from the first moment harry and I saw him when a scars burned. I think it may have been a warning, though of what I haven't a clue. "As such, I don't expect many of you to appreciate the subtle science and exact art of potion making. However, for those select few," here he looks over at Draco who smiles. It seems those two know each other then. "...who possess the predisposition, I can teach you to bottle fame, brew glory and even put a stopper in death. Then again, maybe some of you have come to Hogwarts to not... pay... attention."

Hermione nudges my elbow, I was writing down the things in my book the things Snape told us we can learn, so I also nudged Harry's elbow and we both put our quills back in their ink to see Snape staring at us.

"Mr Potter, miss Longbottom, our new celebrities," we turn to look at each other in confusion and disbelief. What's he talking about, unless it was the boy and girl who lived thing that Hagrid told us about. "Tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to a preparation of Wormwood?" he directed his question to Harry who shook his head and shrugged. Hermione's and my hands skyrockets, we just went over this in the library. Snape raises a black eyebrow at me before turning back to Harry. "You don't know? Well, let's try again. Where, Mr Potter, would you look if I asked you to find me a Bezoar?" Hermione's and my hands shot up again.

"I don't know, sir," Harry replied.

"And what is the difference between Monkshood and Wolfbane?"

"I don't know, sir," Harry replied again.

"Pity," he said, though I don't think he meant it. "Clearly, fame isn't everything, is it, Mr Potter?" he seems to have a grudge against Harry as he just basically ignored me as I have the same apparent fame as Harry.

The lesson continued, Snape describing the things we'll be learning this year. Harry lost us five house points for seemingly no reason whereas Malfoy earned his house ten points.

* * *

It was now Thursday day of the first week, midday. Harry, Ron, Hermione and I were all eating our lunch in the Great Hall. Well, the three of us were while Hermione was doing some homework. Most of the students were doing homework. Harry and I were watching Seamus trying to do a spell on a glass of water. "Eye of rabbit, harp string hum. Turn this water, into rum." He looks into his glass and shakes his head saying the spell again. "Eye of rabbit, harp string hum..."

I turn to Ron, who was sitting next to Harry opposite Hermione and me, and asked him, "hey, Ron, what's Seamus doing to that glass of water?"

We look back at Seamus while Ron explains what he's done, "turn it into rum. Actually managed a weak tea yesterday, before..." we all cringed as Seamus's glasses exploded into his face. Causing his face to turn brown, his brown hair to stick up and steam rises up from the broken glass. There was laughter from us and other students around him. He did look really funny.

Just then a flock of owls starting flying into the great hall, dropping packages all of the place to the students. "Ah. Mail's here!" Ron exclaimed.

Neville and I get a letter and present from our grandmother. Mine was a book on Transfiguration, on Animagus transformations. The letter asked me about how angry she is about Hagrid sending her to sleep, how she hopes we're doing well and are not getting into trouble. Huh, she knows me well.

I look up towards Neville as Seamus points out that, "hey, Neville's got a remembrall!" It was a clear ball with a gold band around it.

"We've read about those," Hermione said, meaning me as well. "When the ball turns red," the ball turns a smoky red. "It means you've forgotten about something."

"The only problem is, I can't remember what I've forgotten," everybody around him laughs but when they turn my way I make sure to give them a fierce glare that made them straight away stop laughing and go back to eating. Neville is always forgetting things.

Harry, who hadn't gotten anything and was instead reading Ron's said to him, "hey, Ron, listen to this. Someone broke into Gringotts." Hermione and I all listened much closer. "Believed to be the work of dark wizards or witches unknown, Gringotts Goblins, while acknowledging the breach, insist that something was taken. The vault in question, number 713, had in fact been emptied that very same day."

"That's odd," I replied. "That's the vault Hagrid took you, Neville and myself too." Now I was concerned about Hagrid, just what had he taken?

* * *

It was now our last lesson for the day, we seemed to have all our classes with Slytherin except for History of Magic and Magical theory which we had with Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.

We lined up in two lines facing each other on the Hogwarts grounds. I was standing next to Hermione and standing in front of Harry, Ron next to him in front of Hermione and Neville next to Ron. A broomstick each lay next to everyone, just a bit in front lying on the ground. I saw Madame Hooch, our teacher, coming to stand at the end of the lines to my right. Madame Hooch was small in stature, had dark, short, spiky hair, had Quidditch goggles resting on her forehead, a whistle dangling from her neck and was wearing yellow Quidditch style robes. "Good afternoon," she called.

"Good afternoon, Madame Hooch," we all replied.

"Good afternoon, Amanda," she calls to a girl at the front of the line next to her. "Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to your first flying lesson. Well, what are you waiting for? Everyone step up to the left side of their broomstick." We all do that. "Come on, now, hurry up. Stick your right hand over your broom and say up."

"Up," we all say, mine comes flying up into my hand straight away, as does Harry's I notice.

Hermione stares at our brooms as the class continues.

I hear Draco say "up" and it also flies straight up, him grinning smugly afterwards.

"With feeling," Madame Hooch instructs.

I look over to see how Hermione is doing. "Up, up, up, up," it doesn't seem to be working.

I look over at Ron, "upppp!" he whines. His broom flies up and cocks him on his nose. "Owww!"

Harry and I both laugh at him. "Shut up, Harry, Gwen," he laughs, as well.

Hermione also finally manages to get her broom up as does everyone else.

"Now, once you've got hold of your broom, I want you to mount it," we all do so. "And grip it tight, you don't want to be sliding off the end. When I blow my whistle," she says, holing it up, "I want each of you to kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your broom steady, hover for a moment, and then lean forward slightly and touch back down. On my whistle... 3... 2..." the was a tweet from a near by bird and Neville's broom lifted him off the ground, hovering for a moment.

"Neville?" I called concerned and worried about what he was doing. "Neville!" I called as did everyone else before he flew wobbly off, looking very frightened. We follow his route as he flies away before turning back round. "Madame Hooch, do something," I called to her, now very worried. She draws out her wand but has to dive away as Neville flies directly above our heads.

He then flies over a small brick walled balustrade walkway and we follow him through the archway below it to see his robes got caught up on the spear of the statue of a man and he had lost his broom. "Neville!" I shouted to him. Then his cloak ripped and he fell down on the spikes of a torch, then down to the ground, lying their and not getting up as Madame Hooch came running up to him. Hermione grabbed my arm, rubbing it comfortingly, as I wanted to know if Neville was okay.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow," Neville replies as Madame Hooch lifts up his right wrist.

"Oh, oh, oh, dear. It's a broken wrist. Tch, tch, tch. Good boy," she says as she helps him up. "Come on, now, up you get. Hooch begins to lead Neville away. "Everyone's to keep their feet firmly on the ground while I take Mr Longbottom to the hospital wing. Understand? You stay here, miss Longbottom. I've got it under control," she says, seeing me about to head off with her. "If I see a single broom in the air the one riding it will find themselves out of Hogwarts before they can save Quidditch," then she disappeared entirely round the corridor.

I heard Draco snicker and saw him holding my brothers remembrall. "Did you see his face? Maybe if the fat lump had given this a squeeze, he'd of remembered to fall on his fat arse. The Slytherin's around him laughs as I angrily walk up to him. Nobody insults my brother and gets away with it.

"Give it here, Malfoy!"

"No," he says, turning to face me. "I think I'll leave it somewhere for your brother to find." He gets on his broom and flies upright in a circle around us. "How 'bout on the roof," he questioned before flying off high in the sky, hovering and turning around to face me. What's the matter, Longbottom? Bit beyond you reach?" that did it. I was going after him, damn the rules.

I got on my broom when Hermione tried to stop me. "Gwen, no way! You heard what Madame Hooch said. Besides, you don't even know how to fly." I just fly off and meet Malfoy up in the air, hovering unsteadily at first but then getting the hang of it.

"Give it here, Malfoy, or I'll nock you off your broom!"

"Is that so?" he asks smiling. I make to dash forward and to the ball but Malfoy also sins three hundred and sixty degrees round and moves a few feet forward. I turn to face him as he looks back over his shoulder at me. "Have it your way, then!" and he throws the remembrall into the air.

I zoom after it, making the broom go as fast as it can, heading straight for a tower. I manage to catch it, spinning around as I catch it just before I collide into the wall. I switch the ball into my right hand and steer the broom with my left, heading down towards where all my classmates are cheering and rushing up to me. I run up to meet them. Every one saying "that was amazing, Gwen!" or "well done, Gwen!" I feel really proud of myself for that. That was a great catch and I really enjoyed flying, zooming off as fast as I can, and feeling the wind in my hair.

The friendly cheer was then cut off, "Gwendolyn Longbottom," everyone turned and quieted to see Professor McGonagall standing a few feet away from us. "Follow me." I hear Malfoy and his Slytherin goons snicker as I go to walk off with Professor McGonagall.

It's a bit of a surprise to me when she leads me to my DADA classroom where Professor Quirrel is teaching his class and holding an Iguana. "An Iguana s-such as this," he was saying before McGonagall stopped me from going any further. "...an essential I-ingredient.

"You wait here," she said to me. "Excuse me, excuse me, Professor Quirrel," she calls out to Quirrel. "Could I borrow Wood for a moment, please?"

Quirrel looked surprise at this request. "Oh. Y-yes, of course." A tall boy with dark brown hair, sitting near the back of the class, got up and came and stopped in front of us. Quirrel continued his lesson, "and the v-vampire bat..." before he was cut of by McGonagall introducing us.

"Longbottom, this is Oliver Wood. Wood, I have found you a seeker!"

I felt really confused at the term, not remembering that Hagrid once explained to me what one is. They offered me congratulations before they both left. I wondered off to see if I could find Harry and Ron.

I later found them both walking down stone corridors so I join them and tell them of my promotion.

I notice Sir Nicholas and a lady ghost float by, passing us. "Have you heard?" Sir Nicholas was asking the lady. "Gwendolyn Longbottom is the new Gryffindor seeker. I always knew she'd do well."

Ron then exclaimed, "seeker?! But first years never make their house teams! You must be the youngest Quidditch payer in a..."

"A century," I said. "According to McGonagall."

Fred and George then approach us and walk alongside us. "Hey, well done, Gwen! Wood's just told us," said Fred.

"Our job is to make sure that _you_ don't get bloodied up to bad. Can't make any promises, of course. Rough game, Quidditch."

"Brutal," Fred carried on. "But no one's died in years. Someone will vanish occasionally..." they break off from us as they keep travelling on down the corridor, whereas we head off into a courtyard.

"...but they'll turn up in a month or two!" George finished.

This really wasn't helping to persuade me to play Quidditch. "Oh, go on, Gwen!" Ron encouraged me. "Quidditch is great! Best game there is! And you'll be great too."

"But I've never even played Quidditch. What if I make a fool of myself?" I asked Ron. Hermione then popped up beside me making me jump slightly.

"You won't make a fool of yourself, it's in your blood," the three of us looked confused at that knowledge. How would she know that.

Hermione leads us through corridors to a trophy case where she points to a plaque of Quidditch players in the past. There, the biggest shield in the middle, showed my fathers name.

'Frank Longbottom: Seeker 2.'

"Whoa! Gwen, you never told us that your father was a seeker two," said Ron in amazement.

"I... didn't know," and it was the truth. My grandmother never told me. I'm glad I got to learn something about my parents though. I'll have to tell Neville about this later.

We travel to the moving staircase and start to go up a flight of stairs. It's spooky," Ron said to us, "she knows more about you then you do."

"Who doesn't," I replied, before the staircase suddenly moved, causing us to gasp and grab the railings.

"What's happening?" Harry asked.

The staircases change, remember," Hermione reminded us. The staircase then stopped.

"Let's go this way," I called down to them as I was at the front.

"Before the staircase moves again," Ron forwarded. We pushed open the door ahead of us and what we can tell is a spooky, dark room. "does anyone feel like... we're not supposed to be here?"

"That's because we're not supposed to be here, this is the third floor. It's forbidden!" Hermione warned us.

"Let's go," Harry said, just then a torch was and we heard a meow behind us. "Oh no," we turned to see Mrs Norris.

"It's Filch's cat!" Ron shouted.

"Run!" I said in reply, Filch will be here in any minute now. We run as fast as we can down the corridor, torches lighting as we pass them, not stopping till we reach a single brown door.

"It's locked," Harry said in frustration once he tried the handle.

"Oh, that's it, we're done for!" Ron exclaimed. Don't they pay attention to any spells that are taught.

"Oh, move over!" I barged through them to the handle where I drew out my wand and clearly said, "Alohomorah."

The door unlocked so I pushed it open, ushering everyone inside before closing it. "Alohomorah?" Ron questioned me.

"Standard book of spells, chapter seven," I answered. We listen for any sign of Filch approaching but instead heard him leave.

"Probably thinks this doors locked," Ron suggested stupidly. That was what the spell was for.

"It was locked," Hermione replied.

"And for good reason," Harry pointed out ahead of us. First we saw two huge grey paws that were standing on a trapdoor, a huge body and three heads. It was a three headed dog. A scary three headed dog. It was just walking up before it saw us and growled threateningly.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" We all screamed before running out the door, just managing to lock it into before the dog killed us. We ran all the way back to the common room, not stopping till we were safely inside to catch our breathe.

"What do they think they're doing? Keeping a thing like that, looked up in a school," Ron questioned.

"Didn't you see what it was standing on?" so Hermione noticed the trapdoor as well.

"I wasn't looking at it's feet! I was a bit preoccupied with it's heads, there were three! Or maybe you didn't notice?"

"It was standing on a trapdoor which means it wasn't there by accident. It's guarding something," I pointed out as we reached the top of the stairs.

"Guarding something?" Harry questioned incredulously.

"That's right," Hermione seconded. "Now, if either of you three don't mind, I'll be off to bed, before either of you get another crazy idea that will get us killed, or worse- expelled," she said before opening our dorm room and entering it, closing it behind her.

"She need to sort out her priorities," said Ron. Harry and I nodded in agreement.

I walked up to my door before turning back to Harry and Ron. "Well, goodnight guys."

"Good night, Gwen," they both replied. I went inside to see Hermione asleep, she must of been tired. I got ready for bed before getting in. As soon as I had laid down Truffles jumped up on the pillows next to me and also went straight too sleep. I stroked his fur before also going to sleep.

* * *

It Friday, still the first week, and it was lunchtime. Wood, I learnt was the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain once I had decided to join the team. Between us we were carrying a heavy, brown locked box out onto a part of the Hogwarts grounds near where I had my firs Quidditch lesson. He explains Quidditch to me as we're walking. "Quidditch is easy enough to understand," he began as we put the chest down. "Each time has seven players, three chasers, two beaters, one keeper and a seeker that's you," he unlocks the chest and takes out the biggest brown ball in size. "This one's called the Quaffle. Now, the chasers handle the Quaffle and try to put it through those three hoops," he points to three uneven hoops on the far away Quidditch pitch. "The keeper, that's me, defends the hoops," he throws the ball to me which I catch. "With me so far?"

I throw the ball back to him and he locks it back up. "I think so, what are those?" nodding to the two other balls in the chest that looked like they were squirming, trying to get out from their chains.

"You better take this," he hands me a small light brown bat, a bit like a cricket bat. He bends down and releases the chains from one of the balls. It flies straight off into the as soon as it's released. Flying straight up then coming back down. "Careful, now, it's coming back," I got the bat reading and before it got too close to hitting my I hit it with the bat forwards where it's aimed at a tall statue, right between it's two spears that are cross. Wow. "Eh, not bad, Longbottom. You'd make a fair beater..." but then it comes zooming back the way it came towards us. "Uh-oh," it slams straight into Wood's stomach, "ooof!". He wiggles around on the ground, trying to not let it fly back off and managed to put it back in it's chains in time.

"What was that?!" that was awesome.

"That was a bludger. Nasty little buggers. But the only ball I want you to worry about is this..." inside the lid of the chest he takes out a small golden ball from the middle pouch the size of a walnut. "...the Golden Snitch."

He hands it to me, "I like this ball."

"Ah, you like it now, just wait. It's wicked fast and damn near impossible to see."

"What do I do with it,"

"You catch it... before the other team seeker. You catch this, the game is over. you catch this, Longbottom, and we win," as soon as he said that the snitch whizzed and hovered in the air above my hands, two delicate golden wings coming out of its sides, before flying off.

"Wow!" I think I'm definitely going to like this game.

* * *

It was now the end of October, Halloween, and I was now back with Ron, Harry, Neville and Hermione and we were in our charms lesson with Professor Flitwick, Head of Ravenclaw House. He was a short man and he had to stand on stack of books before the classroom's windows, and he was also old and had long white hair like Dumbledore's. We were lined up on two rows on either side. It was Harry, then me, then Hermione, then Ron and finally Neville all on the front row. In front of us on our desk was a feather and our wand.

"One of a wizard's most rudimentary skills is levitation the ability to make an object fly. Uh, do you all have you feathers?" he asked us, he seems to be a bit forgetful. Hermione and I raises ours to show him the white feathers before putting them back down. "Good, now, uh, don't forget the nice wrist movement we've been practicing, hmm? The swish and flick. Everyone," we all make the movement with our wands. "The swish and flick. Good and enunciate Wingardium Leviosa. Off you go, then."

Everyone starts practicing the incantation but it seems no one can make the feather fly looking around the classroom.

I saw Ron do it completely wrong. "Wingardium Leviosar," and then he whacks the feather with the wand numerous times.

Luckily Hermione stops him from damaging the feather, "stop, stop, stop, you're going to take someone's eye out." Ron stops whacking. "Besides, you're saying it wrong. It's Leviosa, not Leviosar."

"You do it then if you're so clever, go on."

Hermione looked at me and we both smiled at each other before saying at the exact same time, "Wingardium Leviosa." Our feathers fly up, causing the class to become silent and watch them. Ron leans on his arms on his desk dejectedly.

"Oh, well done," Professor Flitwick happily said. "Look here everyone, Miss Granger and Miss Longbottom's done it! Splendid!" Seamus begins repeating the incantation again. "Well done, dears," he says to us.

Boom! I jump and look over to Harry's right to see that Seamus's feathers had exploded in his face, exactly with what happened when he tried to turn that glass of water into rum.

"I think we're going to need another feather over here, Professor," Harry said, all of us watching the burnt feather falling back down to the desk.

He did get given another feather, only Harry near the end of the lesson managed to get the spell done and so did Malfoy. Neville didn't manage it this lesson.

After the lesson the lesson finished I walked out into a courtyard with Harry, Ron, and Seamus. "It's Leviosa, not Leviosar. She's a nightmare, honestly!" Ron complained about Hermione. "No wonder she hasn't got any friends." I felt insulted, I was her friend.

Just then Hermione herself walked past and I think bumped purposely into Ron. "I think she heard you," Harry pointed out.

"Ron, you shouldn't have said that," I turned to him as Hermione walked away from us. "Didn't you know that I was her friend?" I shook my head as I walked off after Hermione.

* * *

I ended up loosing Hermione in the sea of students heading for dinner so I went with Harry and Ron to eat the Halloween feast in the Great Hall, hoping Hermione wouldn't miss it and would be there. The hall was decorated with lit Jack O'Lanterns all over in the ceiling, the tables filled with sweets and desserts.

It's been a while into the dinner when I decide to ask Neville to see if he knows where Hermione is.

"Parvarti Patil said she won't come out of the girl's bathroom. She said that she'd been in there all afternoon... crying," Harry, Ron and I exchange sad glances.

We were then interrupted by Professor Quirrel, who came running into the hall screaming, "troll, in the dungeon! T-troolll, in the dungeon, thought you'd want to know," he said before fainting.

There was a moment of silence before everybody screamed and tried to rush out of the hall.

"Sillllleeeeence!" Dumbledore shouts from the teachers table. Everybody quietens and looks towards him. "Everyone will please, not panic. Now, Prefects will lead their houses back to their dormitories. Teachers will follow me to the dungeons."

All the Prefects started to gather their houses and lead them to the dormitories. When going down a corridor Percy called out, "Gryffindor's... keep up please and stay alert."

I asked Harry and Ron, "how did a troll get in?"

"Don't know, but trolls are really stupid," Ron replied. "Not by itself. Probably people playing jokes." Suddenly Harry stops and pulls both of us away from the sea of students. "What?!"

"Hermione, she doesn't know!" He reminded us.

We ran off a different way from the corridors, going as fast as we can down to the dungeons. We had just turned a corner when we heard a deep grunting noise and then the actual troll walking down at the end of the corridor. We hid behind the corridor so it wouldn't see us. It was large and ugly, grey and huge, with a small head and was dragging a long brown wooden bat across the floor.

We rushed off after it and entered the girl's bathroom to see the troll in there attacking the stall Hermione was in with it's club. "Hermione move!" Harry called out to her as she lay under a pile of broken pieces of wood.

"Help! Help!" Hermione screams as the troll smashes the remaining stalls. We started using the pieces of wood around us and threw them at the troll to try and distract it.

"Hey, pea brain," Ron calls out to it. He throws a piece of wood and hits the troll on the head.

Hermione escapes from the stalls to under the sinks. The troll notices her and breaks them. It barely misses Hermione as well all cringe as we watched it. "Ahhh! Help!"

Harry gets out his wand and runs up to the troll, grabbing it's club and is lifted up. "Whoa! Whoa, whoa!" he manages to land himself on the shoulders of the troll, behind it's head. He's hurled forwards, then back and then he sticks his wand up the trolls' nose.

"Ew!" Ron and I exclaimed. That was disgusting. The trolls snorts and whips around, trying to grab Harry.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" said Harry, scared and trying to cling onto it's head. It manages to grab Harry, who is now dangling upside down by one leg. The troll takes a swing at him but misses as Harry lifts himself out of the way. The troll swipes again before Ron runs towards it with his wand drawn.

Under the sink I see Hermione waving her hand, "swish and flick."

"Wingardium Leviosa," Ron said, absolutely perfectly. The troll lost control of it's club as it hovered in the air above it's head.

"Good one, Ron," I say to him as he grins proudly at me.

"Cool," he says as the clubs hits the troll on the head, causing it to get and stagger towards us.

It dropped Harry and we all shuffled backwards as the troll fell down on it's face, out like a light.

"Is... is it dead?" Hermione asks as she joins as at looking at the troll. It then snores loudly, causing us to jump.

"I don't think so," I replied. "Just knocked out."

Harry bends down and pulls his wand out of the troll's nose where green slime comes out of it.

"Uggh! Troll bogies," Ron said, all of us disgusted by the sight.

Harry had just finished wiping the green snot on his robes when a heard running feet heading our way and the teachers came into sight. There was Professor McGonagall, Snape, and Quirrel. "Oh, my goodness!" McGonagall says, shocked at the sight of the troll. She turns to Harry, Ron and I. "E-Explain yourselves, all three of you!"

"Well, what it is..." we all started off saying before we were interrupted by Hermione.

"It's my fault Professor McGonagall."

The three of us look at each other in shook before turning, with the teachers, to gape at Hermione.

"Miss Granger?" Professor McGonagall questions her in disbelief.

"I went looking for the troll, thinking I could handle it... but I was wrong. If Harry, Ron and Gwen hadn't come and found me... I'd probably be dead." She just saved our lives from either loosing loads of House points or getting expelled.

"Be that as it may..." Professor McGonagall began, sounding like she didn't quite believe her, "it was an extremely foolish thing to do." I notice Snape' leg, noticing Harry do the same out of the corner of my eye, and see a newly made cut as it was still bleeding before he covered it up with his cloak as he noticed that we had seen it and glared. "I would have expected more rational behaviour on your part, Miss Granger. Five points will be taken from Gryffindor, for you serious lack of judgement." She now looked at us as Hermione looked down in shame. "As for you three, I just hope you realise how fortunate you are. Not many students could take on a fully grown mountain troll and live to tell the tale! Five points... will be awarded to each of you, for sheer dumb luck!" We all smile happily at each other as we've just won some house points.

Professors McGonagall and Snape leaves while Quirrel stays. "Perhaps y-you ought to go..." the troll snorts which makes him jump. "M-might wake up... heh." We nod to the Professor as we pass him and all make our way back to the Gryffindor common Room.

"Thanks guys," Hermione said to us as we reached our dorm rooms. "For saving me back there."

I hugged Hermione then, "hey, what are friends for?" I ask her, Harry and Ron nodding to show that we all agree with being friends. "We'll see you guys tomorrow then," I told the boys as we all headed off to bed, ready for a good nights sleep for my first ever Quidditch match tomorrow.


	5. Series of Attacks: Quidditch

Series of Attacks: Quidditch

The morning of the Quidditch match will find me in a gloomy mood and picking at my breakfast with my fork, not feeling hungry at all but just really nervous. I don't think I can do it.

"Have a bit of toast, Gwen" Ron encourages me as he sits next to me. Hermione was sitting opposite me and Harry was sitting opposite Ron.

"Ron's right, Gwen, you're going to need your strength today," Hermione informed me.

"I'm not hungry," I said sullenly, by way of reply, I really wasn't.

Just then Professor Snape walked by our table and stopped next to me, looking down on me as we all turned to him. "Good luck today, Longbottom. Then again, now that you've proven yourself against a troll, a little game of Quidditch should be easy work for you... even if it is against Slytherin." Then he leaves limping.

"That explains the blood," I remarked.

"Blood?" Hermione questioned.

"Listen," it seemed Harry worked it out as well. "Last night, we're guessing Snape let the troll in as a diversion so he could try and get past that three headed dog. But, he got himself bitten, that's why he's limping."

"But why would anyone go near that dog?" Hermione, wisely questioned.

"The day we went to Gringotts," I carried on the tale, "Hagrid took something out of one of the vaults He said it was Hogwarts's business, very secret."

"So you're both saying...?" Hermione questioned, not quite getting it or wanting whatever she thought confirmed.

"That's what's the dogs guarding. That's what Snape wants!" Harry finished.

Just then we heard and owl screech and looked up to see a barn owl flying towards us carrying a long, slim parcel in it's claws. It dropped the package on the table between us. "Who's this for?" I questioned.

"It's for you Gwen," Hermione informs me as she points to my name written in nice green ink penmanship near one end of the package. "Bit early for mail isn't it?"

"Let's open it," Ron declared, and we all ripped off the cream packaging.

"It's a broomstick," I hadn't got one before as first years weren't allowed their own brooms.

"That's not just a broomstick Gwen, it's the Nimbus 2000!"

"But who...?" then I looked towards the teachers table to see that Professor McGonagall was stroking the owl that brought me the broom and was smiling at me. I smiled and nodded at her in thanks, she had already bought my Gryffindor Quidditch uniform, she didn't need to do anything else.

I managed to eat a bit more breakfast, after that, though I was still really nervous. I parted ways with Harry, Ron and Hermione who were going to find some seats in the stands with Hagrid. Just before they left we saw Neville a offered me a good luck and then went after the other three.

I headed off to the Gryffindor common room to change into my Quidditch robes before I went off to join my team at the base of a Gryffindor tower launch pad at the Quidditch pitch. In my team was of course Wood, the Keeper. Then the three chasers were Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell and Alicia Spinet. The two beaters were Fred and George Weasley and then there was me as the seeker. We all headed up to the top of the tower once Wood had seen that we had all arrived.

When we reached the top Wood and I were in the front, then the Weasley twins behind and the girls behind them.

"Scared Gwen?" Wood asks me.

"A little," I reply, it's different from being nervous and I was very nervous.

"That's alright. I felt the same way before my first game."

"What happened?" I asked, generally curious.

"Er, I don't really remember. I took a bludger to the head two minutes in. Woke up in the Hospital wing a week later." That is really not helping me to be confident. I now wish I never asked.

I gulp and look straight ahead as the doors started to open so we all got on our brooms. The minute they were open fully we zoomed out and around the Quidditch pitch as the Slytherin team did the same. All around the pitch was were students cheering different players on, I could even see an area where it was all for the teachers.

The commentator, Lee Jordan, is using a loud microphone next to the scoreboard that is right next tot he teachers. "Hello, and welcome to Hogwarts's first game of the season! Today's match is Slytherin vs. Gryffindor!" There is even louder cheering coming from both sides. I notice everyone starting to take their positions so I take mine as the highest among them, opposite the Slytherin seeker a boy called Terence Higgs, as we all looked down to see Madame Hooch step onto the field below us. "The players take their positions as Madame Hooch steps out onto the field to begin the game."

"Now, I want a nice clean game," she started of saying. "From all of you." She looks at Slytherin pointedly as I look to see one of the players sneering at me.

She opens the trunk, kicks it and the bludgers zoom up into the air. Then it's the Golden snitch that's released. Lee Jordan carries on commentating. "The bludgers are up... followed by the Golden Snitch. Remember, the snitch is worth a hundred and fifty points." The snitch flies around the head of the Slytherin seeker, then does the same for me before disappearing. "The seeker who catches the snitch ends the game." Hooch now grabs the Quaffle. "The Quaffle is released, and the game begins!" as the Quaffle is thrown into the air and is caught by Angelina Johnson who zooms past the Slytherins towards our goal posts and scores! There is a ding as ten points is added to Gryffindor. "Angelina Johnson scores! Ten points to Gryffindor," the Gryffindor's all cheer whereas all the Slytherin's booo!

I clap in the air as I sit on my broom. I haven't seen the snitch yet. "Yes," then a bludgers zooms past me almost knocking me off my broom, "whoa!"

"Slytherin takes possession of the Quaffle," Jordan narrates. "Bletchley passes to Captain Marcus Flint." That was the evil black haired boy who sneered at me. Flint dodges different players and tries a throw for the Gryffindor hoops but he's stopped by Wood who zooms up to guard them. Wood smirks at Flint who glares in return. Wood passes the Quaffle to Johnson as she passes it between herself and Katie Bell, Johnson takes it, throws and once again scores!

"Yes!"

"Another ten points to Gryffindor!" It seems we're winning the game.

The Slytherins kick Alicia out of the way and try to score again but are once again stopped by Wood. "Give me that!" Flint grabs a beaters bat from one of his beaters and hits the Quaffle directly at Wood's stomach. This causes him to bang into the posts behind him and fall down to the ground not getting back up. That's gotta hurt. I glare at Flint as he smirks back at me. The Gryffindor crowd is booing with the Slytherin's cheer.

The Slytherin team travels in a close line nit formation, jumps over George and scores. They then box Johnson and send her into one of the capes covering the towers, tumbling down it till we see her out cold at the bottom. Now, I'm getting angry.

Finally, I just saw the snitch. I zoom after it to keep it in my sight, dodging out of the way of incoming bludgers and players. Now more then a few seconds that I head after it does my broom start bucking and turning every second. Left and right, up and down, round and round repeatedly. I don't have a clue what's happening as I try to steer my broom back under control but it keeps on trying to throw me off. Then one particularly hard buck was enough to get me unsaddled so that I was only hanging on by my left hand. The broom still hovering uncontrollably. "Whoa, whoa!" I keep on trying to grab the broom with my right hand but the broom just keeps on moving before I can touch it. The broom then suddenly stops bucking giving me enough time to get back off and go after the snitch.

I found it being chased by the Slytherin seeker so I joined him, trying to reach it first. First, we fly around the pitch. I ram into him but is then butted out of the pitch. It takes quite a bit of control to guide the broom to where Higgs is quite close to the snitch. We start to bump each other, trying to get the other player off route.

The snitch then suddenly dives towards the ground, the Slytherin seeker pulls out but I manage to level myself out once I near the ground and keep following the snitch. I decided to try to reach it standing up on my broom as I couldn't reach it just leaning forwards.

I got up slowly, the broom wobbling for a second before I carefully step forward to the tip, to try to grab the snitch. Just as I grab it I step to close to the edge and I go tumbling off the broom, rolling along on the ground before I can stand up. I realised I had actually swallowed it and as it was not yet in my stomach I was trying really hard to cough it up. I managed to spit it out to land in my hands. Only now have I realised that I actually won the match, I couldn't believe it.

"She's got the snitch! Gwen Longbottom receives one hundred and fifty points for catching the snitch!" Lee Jordan informed everyone.

I saw Madame Hooch enter the field on her broomstick, "Gryffindor wins!" she yells as she blows her whistle.

I was incredibly proud of myself as Gryffindor cheered for their win. My team my flew and hovered above, clapping as was everybody else. I showed the caught snitch up to everyone proudly, seeing Fred and George cheering and waving their beaters about.

"Go go Gryffindor! Go go Gryffindor! Go go Gryffindor! Go go Gryffindor!" was what was chanted even after every all left the pitch.

* * *

After the match, Harry, Ron, Hermione and I were all walking with Hagrid to his hut near the Forbidden Forest as Harry, Ron and Hermione were telling us at what they found out about Snape.

"Nonsense," Hagrid deflected. "Why would Snape put a curse on Gwen's broom?"

"Who knows?" Harry questioned him. "Why was he trying to get past that three headed dog on Halloween?"

"Who told you 'bout Fluffy?"

"Fluffy?" Ron questioned incredulously.

"That thing has a name?" I questioned Hagrid. It shouldn't have a name, it looked like a monster, a very scary one.

"Well, of course he's got a name," Hagrid defended him. "He's mine. I bought him off an Irish feller I met down the pub last year. Then I leant him to Dumbledore to guard the..."

"Yes?" Harry questioned him sharply.

"Shouldn'ta said that. Don't ask anymore questions. That's top secret, that is."

Now I'm really curious and suspicious of what's down in that trapdoor. "But Hagrid," I complained. "Whatever Fluffy's guarding Snape's trying to steal it!"

"Codswallop! Professor Snape is a Hogwarts teacher."

We stopped walking for a few minutes. "Hogwarts teacher or not, I know a spell when I see them, we've read all about them," Hermione nudged me in reference. "You've got to keep eye contact and Snape wasn't blinking!"

"Exactly!" Harry seconded.

Hagrid heaved a great tiresome sigh. "Now, you listen to me. All four of you," he says pointing at each of us in turn. "You're meddlin' with things that aren't meant to be meddled in. It's dangerous. What that dog is guarding is strictly between Professor Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel."

"Nicholas Flamel?" I questioned him, never before having heard that name. Hagrid looks as if he's imparted a great and terrible secret.

"I shouldn't have said that. I should not have said that. I should not have said that," Hagrid kept mumbling that to himself as he walked back to his hut.

"Who's Nicholas Flamel?" I questioned the other three, hoping one of them might know.

"I don't know," Hermione said, all of them shaking their heads and looking as confused as I am about the name.


	6. Series of Attacks: Christmas

Series of attacks: Christmas

It was now Christmas and we hadn't found anything on Nicholas Flamel.

I ask my grandmother if I could stay at Hogwarts for more studying, even though that wasn't quite the real answer, and Neville also asked if he could stay as he said that he didn't want to be there with her on his own.

All the students were getting ready to leave as it was the day the Hogwarts Express arrived to take the students home. There were only a few people staying and most of them were in the Great Hall. The Great Hall had charmed the ceiling to represent the outside weather and at the moment it was actually snowing lightly. Near the teachers table was a huge Christmas tree, that Hagrid had pulled in from the forest and Professor Flitwick was using Wingardium Leviosa to lift baubles and tinsels of every colour onto it.

Ron and I were playing Wizard's chess as I saw Hermione walking up to us, pulling her luggage, out of the corner of my eye. Harry was sitting next to me and was watching us play.

It was my turn at the moment, I was okay at chess, it's one thing that my grandmother has always allowed us to play and I was always the one to beat Neville at the game. I was having a bit of a struggle playing against Ron though. "Knight to E-5." I called out clearly to my piece. The knight moved easily on it's own.

Ron thinks for a moment, "Queen to E-5."

The queen totally swipes my pieces in half. "Damn," I muttered, I didn't see that.

"That's totally barbaric!" Hermione exclaimed in shock.

"That's Wizard's chest," Ron said by way of a reply. "I see you've packed."

"See you haven't."

"Change of plans. My parents decided to go to Romania to visit my brother, Charlie. He's studying dragon's there!"

"Good. You can Harry and Gwen, then. They're going to go to the library for more information on Nicholas Flamel."

"We've looked a hundred times!" Ron said to us, both sounding exasperated and annoyed.

Hermione leaned in conspiratorially, "not in the Restricted Section," she whispered to us before leaning back up. "Happy Christmas!"

"I think we've had a bad influence on her," Ron said to us.

* * *

It was now Christmas morning, Ron and I were already up and in the common room. Neville had opened his presents and had gone down to the Great hall for breakfast.

We decided it was time to wake Harry up so we decided to shout to him from down here.

"Harry! Harry, wake up! Come on, Harry, wake up!" We soon heard running feet and Harry appeared above us at the top of the stairs In his pale stripy pyjamas. "Merry Christmas, Harry!"

"Merry Christmas, Ron, Gwen! What are you wearing?" he asks Ron about his jumper. It was a knitted dark maroon red jumper with a gold 'R' on the front.

"Oh, my mum made it. Looks like you got one too!"

"I've got presents!" Harry asked excitedly. I'm not surprised if he hadn't had any presents before as I've seen the way the Dursleys treat him. He runs down the stairs.

"They're they are," I pointed to a pile of presents by the huge Christmas tree.

Ron sat on the edge of a red arm chair while I sat properly on it and we shared a packet of Bertie Bots Every flavour Beans between us. We watched as Harry sat on another chair and grabbed a dark grey, huge, lumpy parcel with a note sticking out under the string. Reading it out loud Harry said, "your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well." He then opens the present to reveal a dark brown cloak.

"What is it?" Ron asked him.

"I dunno, some kind of cloak..."

Well, that was kind of obvious in my opinion. "Well, go on then, try it on," I encouraged him.

He did and all of Harry's body except his head was totally invisible.

"Wow, I know what that is," Ron seemed in awe of it. "That's an invisibility cloak."

"I-I'm invisible?" Harry questioned us as he tried to see for himself.

I've read about those back home. They're really rare. "I wonder who gave it to you?" I wondered out loud. We headed over to look at the note with Harry.

"There was no name," Harry replied confused. "It just said... 'use it well.'"

* * *

We had spent the rest of the day opening our presents, having a fun time throwing snowballs out on the grounds with Neville and the rest of the had a great time laughing their heads off at the animals I could produce when using my Metamorphmagus abilities.

Soon, Christmas day was already over and Harry and I decided to use the invisibility cloak to get into the Restricted Section to see if we couldn't find some more information on Nicholas Flamel.

We unlocked the door and crept in, me holding a lamp so we could see in front of us, the rest of us was covered by the cloak. "Famous fire eaters..." Harry whispered as I held the lamp up to the spines of the books. "...15th century fiends... Flamel... Nicholas Flamel... where are you?"

He took the cloak of us and put it on the desk in front of the shelves, while I also put the lamp down to pull out a random book to see if it had any information on him. I opened the book to a random page and a face covered in ink came wriggling out, screaming, "ahhhhhhhhh!" really loudly. I closed the book quickly to quite down the noise but we'd already been heard.

"Who's there?" Filch's voice questioned from the main point of the library. As we looked in that direction to see if he was in here yet I had accidently knocked the lamp over onto the floor, snuffing the light out and cracking the glass, while Harry quickly put his cloak around us as we slowly walked forwards to see where Filch was. "I know you're in there, you can't hide." We see Filch enter the Restricted Section. "Who's there? Show yourself?!" he shouted out, holding a lamp out in front of him.

We creep around him as quietly as we can as he heads further in. We run into a corridor, breathing heavily, when we see Mrs Norris ahead us. She starts to follow us as we run backwards and turn a corner just as Snape rushes up and pushes Quirrel against the wall. "Severus, I-I thought..." began Quirrel before he was interrupted by Snape.

"You don't want me as your enemy Quirrel."

"W-what do you m-mean?"

"You know perfectly well what I mean," it almost seemed as Snape new we were there under the cloaked. He looked right in our direction and lifted a finger, reaching out to grab the cloak but at the last minute pointed the finger on Quirrel. We had to hold our breathe to make sure we were not heard. "We'll have another little chat soon... when you've had time to decide where your loyalties lie." He moved away from Quirrel as Filch approached with our broken lantern.

"Oh, Professors. I found this, in the Restricted Section. It's still hot. That means there's a student out of bed."

The Professors all looked alarmed as they all darted of to presumably find the student, even though they never will.

We enter a empty room, only to hide away for a few minutes till the teachers are completely gone. All it had was a tall plain mirror that we slowly walked towards.

I started to see images appear in the glass. It was a short woman with pale skin, small stature, brown eyes, and short and spiky brown hair. The man next to her was quite similar in appearance. He was also pale, small stature, large forehead and also had very short brown hair. Next, to them was another woman with dark red hair, bright green eyes, tall will pale skin. The man next to her had brown eyes, round glasses and dark brown messy hair.

I really hoped these people were who I thought they were. "Mum?" I questioned the first woman I saw the exact same time Harry said the same thing to the other woman.

We looked at each other in shock, "you can see her, as well?" we questioned each other simultaneously.

We both nodded turning the people in the mirror. They were smiling sadly at us, though I don't know why.

"Dad?" we questioned the men next to the woman. They also nodded. I can't believe it. I've finally met my parents, after all this time. Harry and I reached out to the glass, trying to touch them but only touching solid glass instead. We felt a hand on a shoulder and looked at the mirror to see our mothers touching our shoulders in the mirror. How is this happening I have no clue, but I'm thankful this is.

We stay they for a few minutes just taking In everything of our parents before I'm reminded of Ron and Neville. He hasn't seen our parents yet. We put the cloak back on and run all the way back to the dormitories. Bursting into the dormitories to wake Ron and Neville up.

We take the cloak off and I go to Neville and shake him awake while Harry does the same to Ron. "Neville? Neville! Wake up! You have to see this, wake up?"

"What are you doing in here, Gwen?!" Ron asks seeing me and trying cover himself up.

I raised my eyebrow at him. "I've seen Neville underdressed before, Ron, we used to share a room when we were children. They all blushed for some reason as they got out and bed and followed us all the way back to the mirror.

"Come on, look, it's our parents!" Harry shouts to them happily as we enter the room. We rush to stand in front of it and Harry and I see our parents again. "You see them, don't you? Come on, stand there," he pulls Ron to the middle of the mirror. "You see them don't you, it's..."

"That's me," Ron shouted. "Only I'm Head Boy, and I'm holding the Quidditch Captain too! I look good. Harry, do you think this mirror shows the future?"

He and I look sadly at each other, "how can it?" I questioned him. "Both of our parents are dead."

I then moved Ron out of the way so Neville could have a look. He looked back at me in shock, with tears in his eyes, "is- is that them, Gwen?"

"You see our parents?"

He nodded. We hugged each other tightly, both in happiness and sadness as we both shed tears over their death.

* * *

Harry and I visit the mirror often over the holidays, one night we get a surprise visit. "Back again, Harry, Gwen?" We jumped up and turned around to see Professor Dumbledore there. He starts walking towards us, "I see that you, like so many before you have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised. I trust by now that you realise what it does. Let me give you a clue. The happiest man on Earth would look into the mirror and see only himself, exactly as he is."

2So, then it shows us what we want?" Harry suggested. "Whatever we want?"

"Yes... and no. It shows us nothing more or less then the deepest, most desperate desires of our hearts. Now you two, who have never known your families, you see them standing beside you. But remember this Harry, Gwen. This mirror gives us neither knowledge or truth. Men have wasted away in front of it, even gone mad. That is why tomorrow it will be moved to a new home, and I must ask you two to not go looking for it again. It does not do to dwell on dreams, Harry, Gwen, and forget to live."

We both look sadly back at the mirror once last time, never knowing when we may get to see another picture of our parents, before following Professor Dumbledore out of the room. They'll always be in our hearts, and I declare right now that I will stick by Harry in everything. Never letting him do anything alone. I will stick by him till the end of time. He'll be in my hearts, along with my parents and Neville, forever.


	7. End of the first year: Forbidden Forest

End of the First Year: Forbidden Forest

It's not till the students return that we start looking for information on flamel again. We were all in the library. Ron and Harry doing homework when Hermione and I head over to their table, thumping a big book on the desk in front of them and sitting down before I start to flip through the pages to the one I wanted.

"We had you looking in the wrong section. How could we be so stupid?!" Hermione complained. "We checked this out weeks ago for a bit of light reading."

"This is light?" Ron questioned us incredulously.

I looked up at him, annoyed very much as it took us so long to find this information. I finally found the right page and read the passage out loud. "Of course, here it is! Nicholas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosopher Stone!"

"The what?!" They both questioned us.

"Honestly don't you to read," Hermione chided them.

"The Philosopher Stone is a legendary substance with astonishing powers," I continued on reading as if they hadn't spoken. "It will turn any metal into pure gold and produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal."

"Immortal?" Ron questioned.

"It means you'll never die," Hermione answered.

"I know what it means," Ron shouted back before Harry shushed him so we wouldn't alert Madame Pince's anger and have to leave the library.

"The only stone currently in existence belongs to Mr Nicholas Flamel, the noted Alchemist, who last year celebrated his six hundred and sixty fifth birthday! That's what Fluffy's guarding on the third floor," I said my point with certainty in my voice and a finger pointing at the page. "...the Philosopher's Stone."

We all look at each other and start to whisper a plan of action.

* * *

It was now midnight and we were standing outside of Hagrid's hut. "Hagrid?!" Harry called out.

The door opened to reveal Hagrid dressed in a faded red apron and gloves. "Oh, hello. Sorry, but I'm in no fit state to entertain today," he said start to close then door.

"We know about the Philosopher's Stone!" We shouted out in unison.

He opens the door again, looking kind of guilty and stricken. "Oh."

We settled down once inside, Harry and I sitting together on a large arm chair near the table, and Hermione and Ron sitting in chairs at the table. "We think Snape's trying to steal it!" Harry began.

"Snape? Blimey Harry, you're not still on about him, are you?"

"Hagrid, we know he's after the stone, we just don't know why," I would defend Harry without a second thought, always.

"Snape is one of the teacher's protecting the stone! He's not about to steal it!"

"What?" Harry questioned him, us all not believing what he's saying.

"You heard. Right. Come on, now, I'm a bit preoccupied today."

"Wait a minute?" I saw Hagrid's Bulldog Fang sniff Ron, it was really funny and I couldn't help but snort amused, causing Ron to glare at me. Harry carried on, "one of the teacher's?

"Of course," Hermione realised as did I. "There are other things defending the stone, aren't there? Spells and enchantments."

"That's right. Waste of a bloody time, if you ask me." Ron shuffles away from Fang who is still snuffling him. "Ain't no one gonna get past, Fluffy. Hehe, not a soul knows how. Except for me and Dumbledore." Oooh, that could be useful information. "I shouldn't have told you that. I shouldn't have told you that."

Hagrid's interrupted when the cauldron over his fire begins to rattle. "Oh!" he goes over to the fire and gets a small, dark green egg out of the cauldron and brings it over to sit it upon the table. "Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh!"

Harry and I crowd round the table. I don't think we realised that we had actually clutched each other's hands as we were quite nervous to find out what was inside the egg.

"Uh, Hagrid what is that?" I asked him.

"That? It's a... it's um..."

"I know what that is," Ron exclaimed in awe. "But Hagrid, how did you get one?"

"I win it," Hagrid said proudly. "Off a stranger I met down at a pub. Seemed quite glad to be rid of it, as a matter of fact."

The egg rattled before it started cracking. The top piece of the shell flies off as a creature emerges. It squeaks as it slips on an egg piece. It was tiny, dark green with two small see through wings.

"Hagrid, is that... a dragon?" Hermione asked.

"That's not just a dragon," Ron said, knowing something that we didn't. "That's a Norwegian Ridgeback. My brother, Charlie, works with these in Romania."

"Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid laughed as the dragon tried to find it's footing. "Oh, bless him, look. He knows his mummy. Hehe, hello Norbert." the baby dragon squeaks as it looks at Hagrid.

"Norbert?" Harry asked, unbelieving that Hagrid had just named a dragon.

"Well, he's gotta have a name, doesn't he?" We all just think he's crazy to attach himself to a dragon, especially Ron as he laughed out loud. Hagrid raises a finger and rubs Norbert's chin. "Dededede." The next second was all a shock as Norbert sneezed and fire came out of his nostrils to light Hagrids curly beard on fire. We looked in concern at Hagrid to make sure he was all right as he used an oven glove to pat out the fire. "Ooh! Ooh, ooh, ooh! Well... he'll have to be trained up a bit, of course." We couldn't believe he still wanted to keep him. We see him looking suspiciously at something out of his window. "Who's that?"

We turned to see Malfoy looking at us before he scampered off as he realised that we had seen him. "Malfoy!" I spat. I really didn't like that evil git!

"Oh, dear."

We decide to leave before something else happens and he back to the Gryffindor common room.

"Hagrid always wanted a dragon," Harry was saying as we turned a corridor. "He told us so the first time we met him." I nodded in agreement.

"It's crazy," Ron moaned. "And worse, Malfoy knows."

"I don't understand," Harry said, confused. "Is that bad?"

"It's bad," Ron said, looking ahead of him.

We turned to look as well and saw Professor McGonagall, in her nightgown, looking sternly and disappointedly at us. "Good evening." Malfoy then stepped out with a smirk and a smug look on his face from around a corner. We were in big trouble.

She led us to her Transfiguration classroom. She seated herself at her desk while Harry, me, Hermione and Ron stood in front of her. Malfoy stood off to the side. "Nothing, I repeat nothing gives a student the right to walk about the school at night. Therefore, as punishment for your actions, fifty points will be taken."

"Fifty?!" Harry and I shouted in protest.

"Each. And to ensure it doesn't happen again, all five of you will receive detention."

This is not fair, I whined in my head. We weren't even doing anything wrong and wouldn't have been caught if it wasn't for Malfoy.

Malfoy steps forward. "Excuse me, Professor. Perhaps I heard you wrong. I thought you said... 'the five of us'?"

"No, you heard me correctly, Mr Malfoy. You see, as honourable as your intentions were, you too was out of bed after ours. You will join your class mates in detention.

We all grin at each other as Malfoy sagged in defeat, sort of revenge was sweet.

She called for Filch and he led us out into the dark with only a single lamp out of the castle and heading towards Hagrid's.

"A pity they let the old punishment's die. There was a time detention would find you hanging by your thumbs in the dungeons." We all gulped nervously as we listened to Filch. "God, I miss the screaming. You'll be serving detention with Hagrid, tonight. He's got some business to do inside the dark forest."

I gulped again, extremely nervous. Hagrid isn't going to make us go in their is he. I kinda had a fear of the dark.

As we approach the hut we see Hagrid step outside with a large wooden crossbow as he sniffles. "A sorry lot this, Hagrid. Oh, for god man, you're not still on about that bloody dragon, are you?"

Hagrid sniffles again and sighs. "Norbert's gone. Dumbledore sent him off to Romania to live in a colony.

"Well, that's good, isn't it? He'll be with his own kind," Hermione tried to appease him by Norbert's well-being.

"But what if he don't like it in Romania. What if the other dragons are mean to him. He is only a baby, after all."

"Oh for god sakes," Filch complained. "Pull yourself together, man. You're going into the bloody forest, after all. got to have your wits about you."

"The forest," Malfoy cried out in shock, and I think maybe fear. I could find a way to use that as leverage, one day. "I thought that was a joke! We can't go in there. Students aren't allowed. And there are..." he trailed of as he was stared down by Filch. A howl vibrated through the night. "...Werewolves."

"There's more than werewolves in those trees, lad. You can be sure of that. Nighty night," as Filch walks away I see Malfoy looking frightened about what he was told. I was too, but more frightened of the dark. I did have Gryffindor courage in me, whereas he had Slytherin cowardness.

"Right, let's go," Hagrid ordered us, leading us into the forest.

As it was so dark in here you couldn't tell what the forest was like except for directly in front us.

Hagrid was walking at the front with Fang, Hermione, Ron and Malfoy while Harry and I were a few steps behind him.

I grabbed his hand as I heard the snap of twig. I kept looking around to see what might come out of the darkness. Not that I really wanted to know. It's not the dark that I'm afraid of, it's what'll come out of it.

"Hey," I jumped and almost screamed as I turned to Harry.

"Harry! Don't do that!" I said shakily. I hit him hard on his arm.

"Oww! Gwen, what was that for?"

"You scared the hell out of me."

"Why?" Harry asked, concernedly, putting a hand on my arm and awkwardly started rubbing it in comfort. He obviously wasn't good with emotions.

"Um, well, I kind of have a fear of the dark, well, more of what might come out of it. It's silly I know, but once when me and Nevvile were seven, our uncle scared me as I was sleeping. He had been hiding under the bed, and jumped out when I was fully asleep and the room was complexly dark. I screamed and almost had a heart attack that whatever was out there was gong to kill me. I never forgave my uncle for that even if it was only meant a joke. I have been scared of what's in the dark since. I know it's kinda silly I have that fear, and that I still have it but..."

My rambling was cut off by Harry who pulled me into a brief hug. "Hey, it's not your fault you have that fear, Gwen. It's your uncles, but even then he shouldn't be blamed if he apologised to you for it?"

"He did."

"It's also not silly, everyone has some fears, so you're just a natural."

"Thanks, Harry. Didn't know you were sooo god with girls." I smirked good naturedly and nudge him friendly.

"Oh, shut up, Gwen," but he was smiling as he said it.

"So, what do you fear then?" I asked him carefully and cautiously.

There was a long pause before he replied. "Not knowing anything about my parents or about how they died. Loosing any friends or family I make now."

"Same for me. We must be similar in more ways then we know, then."

"Huh?" he asked confused.

"Well, we're both the Boy and Girl Who Lived. We're not afraid to say Voldermort's name. We've both got a scar, we're both in Gryffindor..." we grinned and laughed.

Harry nodded in agreement. "We best stick together then, eh?" He held his hand out for me to accept the promise.

I shook it. "Always." We grinned at each other, held each other's hand before we turned to hurry up to the others as we had slowed down a bit behind the group.

We were walking towards a specific tree when Hagrid bend down and used two of his fingers to dip them into a silvery puddle on the ground beside a dead animal. With the lamps light I could see it was a dead unicorn. Who would dare to kill a unicorn. They are so rare and beautiful.

"Hagrid, what's that?" Harry asks him, nodding at the liquid.

"What were here for," he sighed heavily. "See that," he held the liquid, that was stuck on his fingers, up to us. "That's Unicorn blood, that is. I found one dead a few weeks ago. Now, this one's been injured bad by something." I suddenly see a large cloaked figure walking through the trees to our right. The figure gave me the shivers. I tightened my hand round Harry's as he did the same. I think he saw it as well. We look back at Hagrid. So, it's our job to find the poor beast. Ron, Hermione, you'll come with me."

"Okay," Ron said weakly.

"Harry, Gwen, you'll go with Malfoy." We nodded reluctantly at him.

"Fine! Then I get Fang!"

"Fine, but just so you know, he's a bloody coward." Fang whines.

We split up and Fang lead us through the forest, snuffing the ground with his nose. Malfoy is the one who carries the lamp.

"You wait till my father here's about this. This is servants stuff," Malfoy whined.

"Can't do anything for yourself, Malfoy?" I ask him, grinning.

"Shut up, blood traitor."

"Nice retort," I said sarcastically.

"If I didn't know better, Draco, I'd say you were scared."

"Scared, Potter?!" He scoffs, then there was a howl. "Did you hear that?" We stayed still to see if thee would be more noise.

"Come on, Fang," I said to the dog as he was trailing behind a bit. We approach a piece of flat ground with roots all over. Fang stops and growls. "What is it, Fang?"

We look ahead to see a cloaked figure is crouched over a dead unicorn, drinking it's blood. The figure raises it's head, it's mouth dripping with the Unicorn's blood. I think I was going to be sick.

Harry and I both gasp at the same time and grab our foreheads as our scars are hurting like mad.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Malfoy screams and runs away with Fang. "Ahhhhhhhhh! Heeeeellllllllp!"

The figure slides over the Unicorn and stands erect before turning to glide towards us. We stumble backwards, each others hand held tightly together, both of us absolutely petrified.

We fall and crawl backwards on our bums, as fast as we can, but we end up not being able to go backwards any longer.

Just as the figure is about to attack we hear the sound of hoof beats racing towards us. As we turn our heads to the right a Centaur jumps in front of us, lifts his hooves into the air kicks at the figure. The figure goes away almost at once and our scars don't hurt anymore once it's gone.

As we slowly start to help each other up the centaur turns around to face us. It was male, the colour of the horse a dark brown as well as it's eyes and hair.

"Harry Potter, Gwendolyn Longbottom, you must leave. You are known to many creatures here. The forest is not safe at this time. Especially for you two."

"You're a real Centaur?" I asked in awe.

He chuckled, "Indeed, I am, my lady."

"Oh, I'm not really a lady," I said, blushing. I was more of a tomboy. "It's just, we have a forest on my estate. One day when I was ten years old I was climbing and swinging through the branches of the trees. As they were all quite tall trees, I slipped from a branch of one. I would have been hurt greatly from the fall had it not been that a Centaur saved me. His name was Darienze. Do you now what has happened to him?"

"Ah, that would have been my father, he knew you were going to fall that day. But he died not just a week ago."

My shoulders sagged in sadness. "Then I'm sorry for you loss."

"He would have liked to have met you. You are a Metamorphmagus, are you not?"

His change of subject caught me off guard a bit. "Yes, sir."

He chuckled again. "You may call me Firenze. We know of a master Metamorphmagus near where we live. We could get her to teach you, if you wish?"

I was overwhelmed, someone would be willing to teach me. "Yes! Yes, yes!" I shouted happily, jumping up and down in glee before hugging the Centaur. Then I realised what I was doing and immeadiantly let him go. "Sorry, Firenze. Got a bit carried away. I've never had someone teach me before. All I've done is experimenting with myself."

"My pleasure to help, my lady," he said, bowing his upper half.

"What was that thing you saved us from?"

I jumped, I had accidently forgotten Harry was still here. When I turned to him he was watching me in amusement, probably from my jumping up and down, but also confusion towards Firenze.

Then I remembered what almost happened before Firenze saved us and my thought and face turned grim.

"A monstrous creature. It is a terrible crime to slay a unicorn. Drinking the blood of a Unicorn will keep you alive even if you are an inch from death. But at a terrible price. You have slain something so pure that the moment the blood touches your lips, you will have a half-life. A cursed life."

"But who would choose such a life?" Harry asked him.

"Can you think of no-one?" he asked us in return.

"Do you mean to say... that that thing that killed the Unicorn. It was drinking it's blood. That was Voldermort?"

"Do you know what is hidden in this school at this very moment, you two?"

"The Philosopher's Stone," we both said together.

"I will get the master to write you a note when to get ready for her lessons. I will wait at the edge of the forest and take you to her."

"I cannot thank you or her enough for this, Firenze."

"Think nothing of it, my lady."

Suddenly a dog barked and we looked up to see the rest of our friends and Malfoy a bi higher up at the top of a slope.

"Harry! Gwen!" Hermione shouted to us happily.

"Hello, Firenze. I see you've met our young Mr Potter and Miss Longbottom. You alright there, Harry, Gwen?" Hagrid asked us.

We both nod to them before turning back to Firenze. "This is where I leave you. You are safe now. Good luck."

* * *

We were now all in the Gryffindor Common Room. Hermione and Ron were seated on a sofa near the fireplace while Harry and I were standing on either side of it. We'd just finished telling them about what happened. The Metamorphmagus master and how Voldermort is back.

"You mean, You-Know-Who is out there, right now? In the forest?" Hermione wanted to clarify this.

"But his weak," I said, ignoring her request. "He's living off Unicorns."

"Don't you see?" Harry continued. "We've got it wrong. Snape doesn't want the stone for himself. He wants the stone for Voldermort."

"With the Elixir of Life Voldermort will be strong again. He'll... he'll come back."

It seems both Harry and I were having trouble with this. It's likely people will want us to defeat him again but we didn't know how we defeated him in the first place.

"But if he comes back," Ron began. "You don't think he'll try to kill you two, do you?"

"I think that if he'd had the chance, he might've tried to kill us tonight," Harry replied.

Ron gulped loudly. "And to think, I've been worrying about my Potion's finals."

"Hang on a minute," Hermione said. "We're forgetting one thing. Who's the one wizard Voldermort always feared?" The three of us looked at each other confused. "Dumbledore. As long as Dumbledore's around, Harry, Gwen, you're safe. As long as Dumbledore's around, you can't be touched," she finished, smiling reassuringly at us. Making us both feel a bit better.


End file.
